Reigning national champion Florida State is just days away from beginning its title defense in Dallas. The Seminoles finished a perfect 14-0 in 2013 and rallied from 18 points down to defeat Auburn in the final BCS National Championship.
The face of the program has without a doubt become sophomore quarterback Jameis Winston. Last season, Winston passed for more than 4,000 yards and 40 touchdowns en route to becoming the third Seminole and second-ever freshman to win the Heisman Trophy. Winston would join Drew Weatherford as the only freshman quarterbacks to lead Florida State to an ACC title before becoming the only freshman ever to quarterback his team to a BCS crown.
While Winston has transformed in one of the best players in the nation and a top NFL prospect, what to expect from the former Hueytown High School quarterback was largely unknown at this time last year.
After entering the spring in a three-way battle with Jacob Coker and Clint Trickett for the starting quarterback job, Winston wasn’t named the starter until the 23rd of August — 10 days before the Seminoles’ season-opener in Pittsburgh.
Despite earning the starting job and being surrounded by offensive talent, it was unclear whether or not head coach Jimbo Fisher would immediately open up the offense for Winston or to simply have him manage the game early in the season.
Though highly-recruited and extremely talented, Winston was replacing a quarterback in E.J. Manuel that had just been selected in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft. Manuel had compiled a 25-6 career record as a starter and had just led FSU to its first ACC title in seven years before being taken 16th overall by the Buffalo Bills.
Florida State’s season-opener against Pittsburgh came on Labor Day in prime time and on national television. The contest was the first for the Panthers as a member of the ACC and many saw the opener as a potential stumbling block for defending ACC champion Florida State. It wasn’t long after kickoff that Fisher and the Seminoles knew they had something special in Winston.
Though Pittsburgh drew first blood with an opening drive touchdown, the night would belong to Winston and Florida State. In his first collegiate game, Winston misfired on just two of his 27 pass attempts before finishing the night with 356 yards through the air and five total touchdowns in a 41-13 FSU victory.
As the season went on, Winston continued to make plays and put up numbers previously unimaginable for a freshman. After leading blowout victories over four ranked teams throughout the course of the season, it was Winston’s last second touchdown pass to Kelvin Benjamin in the BCS National Championship that ultimately capped Florida State’s first national championship in 14 years.
It’s now been over a year since Winston was first named the starting quarterback for the team in garnet and gold. After entering the 2013 as something of a mystery, the only question mark now remaining for Winston is what he can do for an encore.
While Winston has become one of the best players in college football and already an all-time great at Florida State, Trickett and Coker now each find themselves starting at other schools.
Trickett, who transferred following last year’s Florida State spring game, saw time last season at West Virginia and will open 2014 as the starter in Morgantown. Coker is expected to compete for a national championship at his new school, Alabama. Coker’s 2013 season at FSU was shortened by a knee injury and the Alabama native transferred at the conclusion of the year.
For Jameis Winston and the Seminoles, what a difference a year makes. In one year’s time, Florida State has gone from a program ranked just outside the top 10 with questions at quarterback to the odds-on favorite to repeat as national champions.
Matching his effort from last season’s opener will certainly be a lofty task for Winston as the Seminoles face Oklahoma State on Saturday. As a reigning Heisman winner and national champion however, there aren’t many challenges that have proved to be too big for Florida State’s sophomore signal-caller.
