There’s no doubt about it — Jameis Winston has ascended to royalty status at Florida State.
In the minutes leading up to what would eventually turn into an ACC mess with then No. 25 Maryland, an FSU equipment manager wrapped a gold chain around the redshirt freshman’s neck.
Florida State’s Jameis Winston is the front-runner in most Heisman Trophy polls and has catapulted the Seminoles to No. 2 in the BCS rankings. Winston and FSU will host Idaho Saturday. Courtesy | Florida State Media Relations
The young prince of Tallahassee, Fla., would then put on a show quite unlike any other — one that would justify the entourage he has gained this season.
Winston started late, but by the time he was done, the first-year starter had thrown for 393 yards and five touchdowns. It was an outing that proved he was capable of hanging around college football’s hierarchy, and one that cemented his place atop that hierarchy.
Six games later, he sits at the forefront of most Heisman polls and even in the midst of a sexual assault investigation he’s been linked with, Winston continues to play some of his best football.
He’s also a pro at avoiding the tough questions — yet another sign Winston is mature beyond his age.
“We prepare like there’s nothing else to lose,” Winston said last Wednesday, addressing the distractions that have come with the year-old investigations that resurfaced more than a week ago.
A few days later, after completing 19 of his 21 pass attempts for 277 yards and two touchdowns in just two quarters, Winston spoke to the media wearing a suit jacket, tie, and — not to be forgotten — the signature gold chain.
Accompanied with a smile, it was a brighter look quite contradictory to the darker events Winston has dealt with during the past two weeks.
“The way we keep playing right here, it’s going to be hard to beat,” he said.
And with just two regular-season games left on their slate, the Seminoles have yet to lose. At 10-0, Florida State, behind the cannon of its 19-year-old starting quarterback, sits at No. 2 in the nation in the BCS rankings heading into the game against Idaho.
The Seminole defense is one of the nation’s best, but it’s Winston’s high-octane offense that has propelled FSU to the No. 2 spot.
“He’s got a big arm, he can make all the throws, he’s athletic, he can run,” Vandal coach Paul Petrino said during Monday’s press conference. “He’s a really good football player, you kind of just knew it from day one. For a redshirt freshman, he has great poise in the pocket, he doesn’t seem like he gets rattled.”
Yet the stat lines and national accolades aren’t what have helped Winston remain above the fray, while the legal issues continue to work themselves out.
Winston’s mental makeup may be his most valuable characteristic — and the one that will be key in FSU’s BCS National Championship game hopes.
The Seminoles, with two regular-season games left, will likely clinch a berth in the national title game if they can top Idaho, Florida and Duke, who is slated to meet FSU in the ACC Championship game.
“Jameis has done a very nice job all season of not being a redshirt freshman, as far as his mental approach to playing, competing,” Seminoles coach Jimbo Fisher said during his Monday press conference. “I think he has confidence in himself. I think he truly believes in himself, that he belongs here and can play here. He’s a very intelligent guy.”
And while the redshirt freshman has yet to play under the kind of spotlight that a national championship game test against No. 1 Alabama would carry, Winston understands pressure — quite well, actually.
He was on the mound when the FSU baseball team fell to Virginia in the final game of last season’s ACC Tournament. The ‘Noles, tied 4-4 in the 12th inning, dropped a heartbreaker to Virginia when Winston gave up a three-run, walk-off home run to the Cavaliers’ Kenny Towns.
Winston then gave up a run in the Seminoles’ 11-6 loss to Indiana in a NCAA Super Regional game.
Since then, his only flaws have been scattered interceptions during 30 or 40-point blowouts.
“He’s able to process everything that happens to him in a situation and as he goes on, he’s able to compute that and come out with the right answer,” Fisher said.
Saturday, it will be Idaho doing the computing, as the Vandal secondary will be tasked with disrupting a passing game that has yet to see a single dent this season.
But none of FSU’s opponents have been able to configure the pieces that make Winston and company such an explosive unit.
And Petrino, who has had two full weeks to game plan for the Seminoles, doesn’t necessarily view the Vandals’ bye week as a blessing.
“Another week to sit there and be nervous,” he said.
Theo Lawson can be reached at [email protected]