The Roller Coaster Career Of Jameis Winston

By Camden Joiner on October 6, 2014

Jameis Winston was a star at Hueytown High School playing both football and baseball. ESPN ranked him as the top quarterback in his recruiting class and Rivals declared him the top dual threat QB. He was even awarded the MVP of the famed Elite 11 quarterback camp. His senior year of high school, Winston committed to Florida State University.

In the summer after graduation, Jameis Winston was selected in the 15th round of 2012 MLB Draft by the Texas Rangers. The Rangers offered the chance for Jameis to still play football at FSU while working with their organization, but Winston eventually declined to sign to focus on football.

He still carried on playing baseball at FSU and was even named a pre-season All American by Baseball America for 2014. Baseball aside however, Winston is most known for his career on the football field.

Image via onlineathens.com

His true freshman year he was red-shirted behind current Buffalo Bills’ quarterback EJ Manuel. In the season following his red-shirt year, Winston won the starting quarterback job before the season even began.

Winston had an incredibly successful season on the field finishing with 4,057 passing yards and 40 passing touchdowns. He was named a Heisman Trophy finalist along with AJ McCarron, Tre Mason, Jordan Lynch, Andre Williams and Johnny Manziel.

Shortly before the trophy ceremony, the Florida State Attorney’s Office announced they were opening an investigation into a sexual assault complaint involving Jameis Winston. State attorney Willie Meggs announced nearly a month later that the investigation was closed and no charges would be filed against any one.

Much of the media were skeptical that perhaps Winston was receiving “superstar treatment.” A few months after the closing of the investigation, The New York Times reported irregularities in the case involving Winston.

Through the medical examination of the victim that accused Winston, injuries were seen consistent with sexual trauma. The NYT also went on to report that the Tallahassee police allegedly never obtained a DNA sample from Winston nor ever even interviewed him. Today the case remains closed and Winston has not been charged.

Controversy aside, Jameis Winston went on to win the Heisman Trophy becoming only the second freshman to do so after Johnny Manziel. Winston lead the Seminoles to an undefeated season and a shot in the National Championship Game vs the Auburn Tigers.

After suffering a large deficit in the first half, Winston led the Seminoles to a second half charge and threw the game winning touchdown to Kelvin Benjamin in the closing seconds. Florida State became the first non-SEC school to win the National Championship since Texas in 2005.

Image via kjrh.com

Things were looking up again for Jameis following his post-season success, but in July he found himself back in the papers for the wrong reason. In April, Winston was caught shoplifting crab legs from a Publix. He was issued an adult civil citation and underwent 20 hours of community service.

Unfortunately, Jameis Winston continues to get into trouble. Last week, Winston was suspended from a very important game vs the Clemson Tigers. Reportedly, Winston was standing atop a table in FSU’s Student Union shouting a sexual obscenity.

Aside from just affecting his college career, Winston is also making a serious impact in his future professional career. Mel Kiper Jr. dropped Jameis to the end of the first round in his mock draft following the incident and many scouts have redrawn their interest in the quarterback.

Image via saturdayblitz.com

Many fans and students alike have grown tired of Winston’s antics. But fortunately for No. 5, all is not lost. The currently No. 1 ranked Seminoles are still undefeated and have another great shot at securing a spot in this year’s College Football Playoff. Winston will be back in action vs Wake Forest this weekend and if he avoids trouble will be able to play the rest of the season.

There’s always room for more quarterbacks in the NFL and while many teams might be skeptical of Winston, he remains one of the most talented QBs in college ball.

My suggestion for Winston is to return to Florida State for one more year following this season. It would give him a chance to prove he can go a year without getting into trouble and improve more on the field at the quarterback position. Today’s news cycle only lasts 24 hours and a quiet year of Winston could drastically improve his draft stock.

Even if he does decide to enter the draft after this season, he surely will be given a shot to eventually win a starting shot. Currently, things aren’t looking up for Jameis Winston, but if he keeps his head down and sticks to football it could all turn out just fine.

Image via q.usatoday.com

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