James Blackman
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James Blackman (born November 14, 1998) is an American football quarterback for the Orlando Pirates of the Indoor Football League (IFL). He played college football for the Florida State Seminoles and Arkansas State. He was signed by the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent following the 2023 NFL draft.
Early life
Blackman played high school football at Glades Central High School in Belle Glade, Florida.
College career
Blackman committed to Florida State over offers from West Virginia and Louisville. He became the starting quarterback after Deondre Francois suffered a season-ending injury during the season opener against Alabama. Blackman became the first true freshman starting quarterback at FSU since Chip Ferguson in 1985. Despite the Seminoles being down 2–5 at one point in the season, Blackman was able to lead the team to a 6–6 record and an appearance in the 2017 Independence Bowl against Southern Mississippi. During the game, he threw four touchdown passes (three to Auden Tate and one to Cam Akers), setting an Independence Bowl record and netted the Offensive MVP.
On November 11, 2020, head coach Mike Norvell announced James Blackman was no longer with the team and was looking to transfer. He transferred to Arkansas State in January 2021.
Statistics
| Season | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Y/A | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | ||
| 2017 | Florida State | 13 | 12 | 7–5 | 173 | 297 | 58.2 | 2,230 | 7.5 | 19 | 11 | 135.0 | 65 | −36 | −0.6 | 0 |
| 2018 | Florida State | 4 | 1 | 0–1 | 33 | 51 | 64.7 | 510 | 10.0 | 5 | 1 | 177.1 | 11 | −26 | −2.4 | 0 |
| 2019 | Florida State | 12 | 10 | 4–6 | 184 | 292 | 63.0 | 2,339 | 8.0 | 17 | 11 | 142.0 | 68 | 41 | 0.6 | 1 |
| 2020 | Florida State | 4 | 2 | 0–2 | 43 | 76 | 56.6 | 366 | 4.8 | 2 | 3 | 97.8 | 18 | −11 | −0.6 | 0 |
| 2021 | Arkansas State | 6 | 5 | 1–4 | 109 | 183 | 59.6 | 1,344 | 7.3 | 8 | 4 | 131.3 | 32 | −39 | −1.2 | 0 |
| 2022 | Arkansas State | 11 | 11 | 3–8 | 223 | 347 | 64.3 | 2,471 | 7.1 | 14 | 3 | 135.7 | 61 | −120 | −2.0 | 3 |
| 50 | 41 | 15–26 | 765 | 1,246 | 61.4 | 9,260 | 7.4 | 65 | 33 | 135.7 | 255 | -191 | -0.7 | 4 |
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 5+1⁄4 in (1.96 m) | 189 lb (86 kg) | 33 in (0.84 m) | 9+1⁄2 in (0.24 m) | 4.75 s | 1.63 s | 2.63 s | 4.66 s | 7.40 s | 30.5 in (0.77 m) | 9 ft 9 in (2.97 m) |
| All values from Pro Day |
On April 29, 2023, Blackman signed with the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent. He was waived by the Dolphins on August 7. Blackman was re-signed by the Dolphins on August 21. Blackman was then waived again as part of final roster cuts on August 28.
On April 2, 2026, Blackman signed with the Orlando Pirates of the Indoor Football League (IFL).