20 year old Jameis Winston may have legitimately had the greatest year an athlete has ever had. The red shirt freshman quarterback of the Florida State Seminoles led his team to an undefeated season and a National Championship, along the way breaking records both individual and team based, earning himself a Heisman Trophy Award, as well as The BCS Championship Game MVP. Even with that heavy allotment of accolades it doesn’t quite put into perspective how dominantly excellent he was all season long. What made Winston’s performance that much more impressive was that a good deal of it came amidst a firestorm of media attention and public scrutiny caused by allegations stemming from some of his off the field activity. In the end Winston emerged victorious in all facets but getting there was not easy by any stretch.
Before we can truly understand what makes Jameis Winston’s journey so special, we have to first know where it began. Winston who carries the nickname “Jaboo” (pronounced “Jayboo”) – given to him by his mother – was born in Hueytown Alabama in 1994. Jameis was a two sport athlete; coming out of high school he was drafted in the 15th round of the MLB Draft by The Texas Rangers as well as being ranked by ESPN as their #1 College Quarterback Prospect
Many theories are often proposed regarding his choice to attend Florida State over the two major schools in his home state; The University Of Alabama & Auburn University. The schools had combined won the previous three years of NCAA Football championships. According to those who knew him best as well as Winston himself, the decision ultimately came down to what he thought was the “best fit”. Yet not enough is made about what kind of character it shows for him to have chosen a team in Florida State that although not by any stretch a poor program, they were not the dominant juggernaut that Alabama had been over the past half decade
In the Seminoles first game of the year Winston threw for 356 yards, with four touchdowns passing and one rushing. What was most impressive though was his efficiency, breaking an FSU school record by going 25 for 27 on passing attempts (the other two legitimately weren’t his fault). One game into the season, Winston had arrived and in grand fashion.
With the spotlight and proverbial bull’s-eye immediately on Winston and the Seminoles some might have thought the young quarterback would falter, or at least slow down. Such was not the case, Winston continued to put serious numbers on the board. He did so in a way that didn’t just bring to light his incredible athletic talents but also the manner in which he carried himself. All season Jameis showed the temperament of a seasoned veteran, not the 19 year old kid he actually was.
His incredible 55 yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Kenny Shaw to end the first half against Boston College was not just captivating to watch, it almost symbolized Winston’s wide array of special in a nutshell. Not only did it highlight his incredible athleticism and throwing accuracy , but it came in a scenario where almost every other quarterback may have aired on the side of caution; instead Winston’s seemingly brash but justified actions led to a go ahead, momentum shifting touchdown. The previously tied game was the closest any team came to beating the Seminoles the rest of the season.
In mid November things suddenly changed. The Tampa Bay Times and TMZ both requested information on an inactive case from December 2012 that allegedly involved Winston and allegations of sexual battery. Over the next nearly 2 months a monolithic firestorm of controversy circled Winston & The Seminoles. Publically Winston never showed a sign that his carefree and jovial spirit was at all deterred by the 24/7 media coverage that seemed to get more and more salacious and convoluted by the day.
When it became clear that the cloud of attention following Winston would not effect his actual play on the field, the national media topic shifted to whether or not he could still win the Heisman Trophy. An award and organization that prides itself on judging an athlete for both his on field and off field behavior.
This left Winston in a troubling scenario, he seemingly needed to be somehow publicly exonerated in time for the Heisman voting deadline, even though he had not been charged with any crime. During this period many many media figures cast judgment on Winston for his actions since the story came to light, specifically his silence. A common line you heard was “if he’s innocent, he should be out there talking about it, instead of keeping silent”. Completely disregarding that Winston was most likely doing what he should do, by acting on the advice of his legal counsel. It became easy for people to forget that he was handling a matter that has much greater implications than just winning an award. In the end Winston was not charged, specific details of the case further reinforced that while Winston could have possibly used better judgment he was by no means the criminal people had potentially thought.
When Winston took the podium to accept his very much deserved Heisman Award he didn’t lash out spitefully as so many in his situation might have done. He simply reinforced that he trusted in the process, specifically referring to his Coaches, and his team’s way of operating. “Trusting in the process” may have alluded to something deeper, that despite the inherent doubts he had faced in this incredibly trying of circumstances; he had faith in the legal system, an admirable almost idealistic way of thinking especially when considering Florida’s recent history.
On January 6th (which also happens to be Winston’s Birthday) the Florida State Seminoles entered the 2013 BCS National Championship game as sizable favorites over the Auburn Tigers. The game ended up serving as Winston’s final and toughest on the field test in a season full of so many off the field challenges. Florida State trailed by as many as 18 and were down eight going into the fourth quarter.
To summarize this epic game in written form could never do it justice, but saying that it was the best national championship game ever , wouldn’t really be a reach. Late in the game The Seminoles took the lead via a miraculous kickoff return touchdown that seemed to almost anticlimactically save Winston from having to lead his team back in the final minutes of a title game. But the sports god’s saw fit to everyone getting what they wanted. Auburn fought back, delivering a go ahead rushing touchdown with 1:19 left in the game- courtesy of Tre Mason, son of Vincent Mason aka Maseo from the legendary De La Soul.
The final stage was set, and the player of the year, who before that night had so dominated all competition so much that he never truly faced late game adversity, led his team all the way down the field with time slowly expiring. Always one for theatrics Winston put a big red bow on the victory with a red zone touchdown that was thrown so picture perfectly that it’s image became the cover of this weeks sports illustrated . With that touchdown pass complete, in the waining minutes of his 20th birthday, Jameis Winston was a champion.
When we got together to discuss who should be this years recipient of the Source Sports: Rookie of The Year award the conversation wasn’t very difficult. All the different aspects of what makes someone a good candidate were taken into consideration, and in every category Jameis Winston excelled. Reading the response via social media in the past week since we’ve made our announcement of an impending winner has made the decision that much more concrete..
Jameis Winston is your 2013 Source Sports: Rookie of The Year !
Spencer Stein
@Sjeezs On Twitter
