The Heisman trophy goes to, Jameis Winston. Yes, and he’s a red-shirt freshman. Winston now joins the list with Johnny Manziel as being the only two redshirt freshmen quarterbacks to win the Heisman trophy in FBS history. With 3,820 passing yards, 67.9 % completion, 38 tds, and only 10 interceptions, Winston finished the season with a 90.4 QBR rating. With a remarkable season, there is a story behind all of this success. A 19 year old from Hueytown, Alabama standing 6’4” and weighing in at 228 lbs, Winston is the youngest player to ever win the Heisman trophy.
The nation’s top high school quarterback in 2012, Winston also played baseball in high school. Being a multi-sport athlete, Winston only played football his freshman and senior year. Winston was recruited heavy from Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher and the two also maintained a good relationship. He decided to commit to Florida State after not receiving an offer from the University of Texas. Winston was always an Oklahoma fan but would’ve loved the opportunity to play football at UT.
“I’m an OU fan but I always wanted to go to Texas. If I’d gotten offer from Texas I’d be going to Texas right now,” said Winston.
He received offers from big time schools like Alabama and Auburn but not from his dream school.
Entering his freshmen season, Winston had to battle for that QB spot with two other players on the team including Buffalo Bills QB EJ Manuel. Winston ended up being a redshirt his first year and had a good role on the Seminoles scout team. Winston helped the Seminoles defense by showing them a dual threat quarterback at his best. Learning behind senior quarterback Manuel, Winston learned leadership from the starter. Their relationship was like a little brother learning from his big brother.
Winston was proud to see Manuel win his first game in the NFL. “I knew he was going to win it. … I was smiling ear to ear like the Kool-Aid Man,” said Winston.
Winston was glad for his opportunity after he found out he would be the starter for the 2013 season. After a good spring game where he threw for 205 yards completing 12-15 passes with two touchdowns, Florida State was glad at what they saw. That is when the era begins.
The start of the Seminoles undefeated season, they went against Pittsburgh. Winston finished that game completing 25-27 passes and a phenomenal 356 passing yards. On top of that he had four touchdowns and zero interceptions. With a great start, Winston continued his streak by blowing out his next two opponents. His numbers started to increase after a great game after beating Boston College 48-34 where he threw for 330 yards, four touchdowns and only one interception.
With more national recognition towards Florida State, America wanted to see if this team was “forreal” going against a true test against Maryland. Maryland was ranked 21 at the time and the Seminoles made them look bad. FSU beat Maryland 63-0 and Winston went for 393 passing yards and delivering five touchdowns with no turnovers. Isn’t that incredible? But that wasn’t even Famous Jameis best game.
The Seminoles went into a hostile environment the following week in South Carolina where FSU looks to battle an undefeated Clemson team. The biggest headline heading into the game was the senior Tajh Boyd vs. the freshman Jameis Winston. This is where Famous put on a show by throwing for 444 yards, three touchdowns and only one interception. FSU defeated Clemson 51-14 as the journey begins.
Florida State remains undefeated in the regular season and defeated Duke in the ACC Championship 45-7 where Winston threw for 320 yards. The old fashion “Magic Johnson” smile was on Famous Jameis face knowing that his team was heading into the BCS National Championship against number two Auburn.
The rough start from Florida State sure looked like they were out of it early. The “Magic Johnson” face was no where in sight through the first half from Winston’s face. Through the first three quarters, Winston completed 11-24 passes with zero touchdown passes. One of the best second halves in a championship game, Winston marched his team down the field with only 1:19 left being down 27-31, Famous Jameis threw a touchdown pass to Kelvin Benjamin that sealed the deal. Florida St. defeated Auburn 34-31 and ends the SEC streak of seven national championships in a row. What a birthday present!
With that being said, Famous Jameis finishes the season undefeated with a national championship and a Heisman trophy. He is the only freshman QB to win a national championship. Stepping in as a freshman leading his team to a championship season, Winston had a year anybody could ask for. One heck of a journey!
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