Heisman Top 25: No. 21 Jameis Winston
Florida State QB Jameis Winston will make his first career start with enormous expectations. The former top-ranked QB prospect in the nation (according to Rivals) has the talent to be a superstar. Mandatory Credit: Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports
Only 76 players in the history of college football have earned the designation of Heisman Trophy winners. First awarded in 1935, the Heisman Trophy is considered the sport’s pinnacle of individual achievement.
SaturdayBlitz.com is tracking the race to the 78th Heisman Trophy throughout the 2013 college football season via the Heisman Top 25. Every week throughout the season, we are tracking the progress of the contenders, both their on-field impact and media presence.
Before ever throwing a pass at Doak Campbell Stadium, enormously lofty expectations have been heaped onto the shoulders of redshirt freshman quarterback Jameis Winston. Florida State faithful expect Winston to be this generation’s Charlie Ward – the 1993 Heisman Trophy winner.
Like Ward, Winston is a two-sport star – only he prefers baseball to basketball. It should come as no surprise that Winston is a two-way player there – both pitching and playing the outfield. Winston became something of a campus legend when he played in the spring game and then left for the baseball game. He didn’t play baseball that day, but did enough to raise expectations to absurd levels during the spring football game. (Winston finished the season batting .235 with 10 extra-base hits in 43 games as an outfielder and compiled an ERA of 3.00, throwing 27 innings in 17 relief appearances.)
Also like Ward, Winston should be an explosive athlete capable of beating defenses with a 60-yard bomb as easily as scampering through outmatched defenses. And remember: Winston has yet to take a snap at the collegiate level.
So impressive was Winston this summer that presumed starter, Clint Trickett, decided to leave school to pursue a better chance of playing time. Coach Jimbo Fisher has not openly acknowledged that Winston has secured the QB1 spot, but it’s little more than a formality at this point.
There is no question that Winston, Rivals’ top-rated quarterback prospect in the nation in 2012, has the talent to be a superstar. The question is: Is it too early to expect Winston to live up to his considerable talent?
How Jameis Winston Wins The Heisman
For starters, Florida State almost certainly has to win at least the ACC – if not more. The Seminoles aren’t likely to have any huge-scale marquee games with the possible exceptions of those against Clemson and Florida. Both of those games are on the road. A strong start to the season could certainly help. Winston’s first-career start will with Florida State having the stage all to itself in a season-opening Labor Day game at Pittsburgh. If Winston plays huge in those three games, he has a chance.
Secondly, Winston has to post huge numbers – and hope that someone from a more strongly perceived conference (read: SEC, Pac-12, Big Ten, Big 12) doesn’t have similar stats. While Winston plays for a power program, the ACC schedule will not likely impress voters who will only tune in to watch the Seminoles a few times.
Florida State must also figure out quickly how to best utilize Winston. It sounds easy, doesn’t it? Taking advantage of the talents of someone like Winston? Remember, at Auburn it took Gus Malzahn a few games to figure out Cam Newton’s strengths. And Johnny Manziel showed promise but didn’t look like the nation’s best player in the opener against Florida or in the next real defensive tests provided by Ole Miss or LSU. By the Alabama game, the Kevin Sumlin-Kliff Kingsbury team knew exactly how to get the most out of Texas A&M’s superstar.
Newton and Manziel benefitted from playing SEC teams week-in and week-out. Winston won’t have that same benefit of the doubt.
Statistical Overview
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Compared To Past Heisman Winners
Charlie Ward, 1993: Since everyone else wants to compare Winston to Ward, we might as well, right? Interestingly, while Ward had the ability to run around defenses he largely won the Heisman – and the national championship – through the air. He threw for 3,032 yards and 27 TDs while throwing just 4 INTs. Ward did run for 339 yards and 4 TDs. Winston would be wise to follow in Ward’s footsteps to avoid getting nicked up.
Johnny Manziel, 2012: The only freshman in NCAA history to bring home the Heisman Trophy, Manziel lit up opposing (SEC) defenses both through the air and on the ground. All Manziel had to do to become the first freshman to ever win a Heisman was throw for 3,706 yards and 26 TDs and run for 1,409 yards and 21 TDs. Oh, and there was the small feat of playing out of his mind in leading the Aggies to a road win at No. 1 Alabama.