Jeff Greer

@jeffgreer_cj

Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson liked Florida State quite a bit as an emerging high school prospect in the Sunshine State. He visited Tallahassee for FSU's junior day in March 2014, and he told Warchant.com, a Rivals.com affiliate, that the Seminoles were his top choice at the time.

It's not all that crazy to imagine an alternative world in which Jackson, who has become one of college football's breakout stars, would be walking into Papa John's Cardinal Stadium in garnet and gold for Saturday's much-anticipated showdown between FSU and Louisville.

But as much as Jimbo Fisher and his FSU staff liked Jackson as a prospect – and Fisher has said multiple times that they liked him a lot – they prioritized recruiting another Class of 2015 quarterback – Deondre Francois, a heralded four-star signal-caller from Orlando, some three hours from Jackson's home in Boynton Beach, Fla.

Francois, considered one of the top 50 players in the country by ESPN and Rivals, verbally committed to FSU in July 2014, serving as one of the crown jewels in the Seminoles' impressive recruiting class. Jackson, pursued by U of L, Miami, Mississippi State, Nebraska and others, pledged to Bobby Petrino and the Cards a month later.

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Both quarterbacks flirted with Florida, too, but they signed with the schools to which they committed. Now they're two of the key players in Saturday's game.

"Both were outstanding prospects," Fisher said Wednesday when asked about the recruiting process for the two quarterbacks.

"You saw Lamar do the things he's doing right now. They ran him. They threw him. He played all over the field. I mean, this guy was a dynamic, dynamic playmaker. ...

"We loved Deondre from the get-go – the first time he threw the football, the way he moved, the dynamics, watching him practice, the different things he did. We knew both guys had a chance to be outstanding players. We were fortunate to get one of them; they were fortunate to get one of them."

Both players appear to be making their star turns, though Jackson started his ascent a little earlier.

He won Louisville's starting job last year after a sterling second-half performance in a loss to Auburn, and though the 6-foot-3 speedster had an up-and-down freshman campaign as a whole, he did have several big games that showed his potential.

His 186 rushing yards and two touchdowns spurred Louisville in a comeback win over archrival Kentucky. A month later, Jackson finished with 453 total yards of offense (227 passing, 226 rushing) and accounted for four U of L touchdowns in a Music City Bowl win over Texas A&M.

By the time this season rolled around, Jackson was getting some buzz as a dark-horse Heisman Trophy candidate. It's safe to remove the "dark horse" element of that statement now.

"I ain't going to lie: I really did expect it, for him to blow up quick," said Donte Sylencieux, who was a receiver for Jackson at Boynton Beach High.

"High school was easy for him. I really thought college was going to be easy for him, too."

Francois sat out last season, taking a redshirt as graduate transfer Everett Golson claimed FSU's starting job and Sean Maguire backed Golson up.

But Francois has the No. 1 spot this time around, and the 6-1 pro-style quarterback has thrived, completing 69 percent of his passes while throwing for 680 yards and five touchdowns against just one interception. He was integral in FSU's thrilling rally to beat Ole Miss, 45-34, in the season opener.

"This young guy they’re playing now is very talented," Petrino said of Francois. "He’s got a quick release and a strong arm."

So far, both of their decisions have paid off. And, if anything, that FSU had the pick of them reflects the Seminoles' status in the college football world.

"We loved both those guys," Fisher said. "We liked them. We're happy with the guy we got. I'm sure they're happy with the guy they got."