Jameis Winston (No. 8 ) finally makes it official Friday. He signs with Florida State to cap the Seminoles' 19-man, highly-regarded class. (USPresswire)
For those Florida State fans who were holding their breaths the last 24 hours, you can finally exhale. The final signature of the Seminoles’ 2012 recruiting class finally has come into the FSU offices.
Jameis Winston is officially a Seminole.
The five-star quarterback, also dubbed the nation’s No. 1 dual-threat, mobile quarterback, faxed in his letter of intent to join 18 other high school and junior college recruits who want to call Tallahassee home the next couple of years. The two-sport athlete may have had some of you nervous in recent days, but those those fears — for now — can be put to rest.
Here’s our story on the Orlando Sentinel’s Seminoles page on Winston.
What this means is the Seminoles now have the two quarterbacks they had committed in the 2012 class. It also means they have a solid backup mobile quarterback behind EJ Manuel. Depending on how quickly he can pick up the offense will dictate how soon we see Winston in games. With Manuel as the starter, don’t expect to see much of Winston in the fall, but if necessary (with the big asterisk of IF he picks up the offense to the coaches’ liking), he’ll be there.
Winston also becomes the fifth scholarship quarterback on the Seminoles’ roster. Also behind Manuel is sophomore Clint Trickett, redshirt freshman Jacob Coker and junior Will Secord.
As we mentioned in the story above, Winston also is a baseball player, and a pretty good one, too. If the potential first-round Major League Baseball draft pick decides to go the hardball route in June, then he won’t be available to the Seminoles this fall after all. Once his spring baseball season begins, Winston could be starring at another very big decision.
But, if he does decide that his heart wants to share the two sports, the Alabama native will have the opportunity to play both and grow at both under FSU football coach Jimbo Fisher and baseball coach Mike Martin, Sr.
Anyway, here’s a bit more on what we wrote about Winston in recent weeks as we were scouting FSU’s commitments pre-Signing Day:
JAMEIS WINSTON
Height: 6′4
Weight: 190 pounds
Stars: Five … rated No. 10 player in nation by Rivals.com. Under Armour All-American
Hometown: Hueytown, Ala./Hueytown High
BREAKDOWN: I must admit, on the first play of Winston’s tape down below, I thought he was only going to get about a five-yard gain. … And then he lowered his left shoulder and scooted on the defense. I think that play right there is all you need to know about Jameis Winston.
Although he’s only 190 pounds, the multi-sport athlete has proven his ability to take a hit, bounce off it and run with the football as if he’s a receiver that burned past the deep secondary coverage. As a runner, Winston has all the tools. As a passer, he has all the tools a high school recruit should have. The only question is the same one you have to ask about any high school recruit: how will it all translate to the next level? The Seminoles are optimistic it will translate just fine.
As we type this blog, Winston is still somewhat firmly committed to FSU, even though the door certainly remains open that he could go somewhere else when Signing Day comes. If he comes to FSU, he will bring with him a right arm that chucked a 75-yard touchdown (many of those yards were in the air) pass in the Under Armour All-America Game earlier this month. He’ll also bring with him the shifty, agile legs that scored a touchdown in that game and 15 others during his high school season.
It’s fitting that Winston’s video below began with a run because his athleticism is the most notable component to his game. In the option, he’ll be a dream for whichever team lands him. In the passing game, the pitcher/center fielder will be a major contributor, too. He has a strong release, a strong arm and appears to also favor the side of accuracy. In the All-America Game, he was 8-for-9 passing. While Winston has said he’s dedicating himself to playing football, it will interesting to see whether he changes his mind about that or not later this spring. In addition to being a mega star at football, he has the ability to be an even bigger star on the diamond. A potential first-round pick in June’s first-year player Major League Baseball Draft, he could have a chance to begin a professional career in that sport instead of going to college. If he goes to college, though, it has been widely accepted — at FSU in particular — that he will play both sports. How he manages both sports, particularly the physical demands of being a running football quarterback, will be worth watching.
At FSU: Assuming he comes to FSU in the fall, Winston will be like Maguire when he arrives: down on the depth chart. Yes, Manuel will begin the year as the starting quarterback, and Trickett, Secord and Coker will probably be his first backups. Could Winston play in his first season? If he picks up the system quickly enough and can understand how to manage Jimbo Fisher’s complex scheme, it’s possible. But not likely. Judging from Fisher’s history with quarterbacks, signal-callers in his systems often are given time to be groomed into playing. For that reason, it won’t be uncommon for Fisher-led teams to have gobs of quarterbacks on their rosters. Until the head man feels the player at that position is ready — and trust me, quarterbacks in Fisher’s systems are treated differently than other positions because of what all they HAVE to know — that player will sit and wait. But if Winston does in fact play this season, it likely will be in scenarios that play to his athletic strengths. In moments when the Seminoles are in option or short-yardage situations and would rather protect or save Manuel, Winston could make an appearance.
What is clear, however, is this: If he comes to FSU, Winston’s presence alone will signal some serious preseason quarterback battles in future years.
Committed: August 3, 2011
Official visit: January 20, 2012
Recruited by: Dameyune Craig
Other offers: Alabama, LSU, Auburn, Florida, Ohio State, Clemson, Notre Dame, Stanford, Oklahoma, Nebraska, South Carolina and others.
Chopping Block – Seminoles Blog – Orlando Sentinel
