Jameis Winston

Short Biography

Jameis Lanaed Winston (/ˈdʒeɪməs/, jay-miss, born January 6, 1994) is an American football quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). Born and raised in Alabama, he was a highly regarded quarterback in high school, and led his team to the state championship as a junior. Winston played college football for the Florida State Seminoles and as a Redshirt freshman became the youngest player to win the Heisman Trophy and helped lead the Seminoles to a victory in the 2014 BCS National Championship Game. In his sophomore and final year, the Seminoles advanced to the Rose Bowl, part of the College Football Playoff. Winston also played on Florida State's baseball team. Winston was drafted as the first overall pick by the Buccaneers in the 2015 NFL Draft.Early life Winston was born in Bessemer, Alabama on January 6, 1994. He attended Hueytown High School, where he played both football and baseball. Winston was considered the best dual-threat quarterback recruit in the nation by Rivals.com, the best overall quarterback recruit by ESPN. Winston was also named the MVP of the ESPN RISE Elite 11 quarterback camp. Additionally, Winston earned the Gatorade Player of the Year recognition for the state of Alabama. He led Hueytown to a state championship during his junior year.Winston committed to attend Florida State University on February 3, 2012. The Texas Rangers selected Winston in the 15th round of the 2012 Major League Baseball Draft out of high school. Though the Rangers proposed allowing him to play for the Florida State Seminoles football team while working out with their baseball organization, Winston decided not to sign.College career Football 2012 season Winston redshirted during the 2012 college football season behind senior quarterback EJ Manuel.2013 season Prior to the 2013 season, Winston was named Florida State's starting quarterback. In his college debut, he completed 25 of 27 passes with four passing touchdowns along with a rushing touchdown against the University of Pittsburgh.Winston helped lead the team to an undefeated 13–0 regular season record, including a 45–7 victory in the ACC Championship against Duke.Winston won the Heisman Trophy on December 14, 2013, beating out quarterbacks AJ McCarron, Jordan Lynch, and Johnny Manziel, the previous winner, as well as running backs Tre Mason and Andre Williams. He became the second freshman to win the award, after Manziel won the previous year. He also became the youngest to win the award, at 19 years and 342 days.On January 6, 2014, Winston's 20th birthday, Florida State defeated Auburn 34–31 in the 2014 BCS National Championship Game. Winston was named the Offensive MVP of the game after passing for 235 yards with two touchdowns, including the game-winning touchdown pass to Kelvin Benjamin with 13 seconds left. Winston finished his freshman season with 4, 057 passing yards and 40 passing touchdowns, which set an ACC record and a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision freshman record.2014 season Winston started 13 games his redshirt sophomore season. He did not play in one game due to suspension. After a 13–0 regular season, the Seminoles were selected to play in the 2015 Rose Bowl, a semifinal game in the College Football Playoff, against Oregon. Oregon would win the game by a score of 59–20, giving Winston his only loss as a starter during his college career. Winston finished the season with 3, 907 passing yards and 25 touchdowns.After the season, Winston decided to forgo the remaining two years of eligibility and enter the 2015 NFL Draft. He finished his career 26–1 as a starter and completed 562 of 851 passes for 7, 964 yards, 65 touchdowns, and 28 interceptions.