Jameis Winston has taken the college football world by storm this
season. The red-shirted freshman from Florida State has the “it” factor
and the charisma that can make a 0-10 team feel like they can beat
anyone in the country. The Noles are ranked No. 2 in the country, which is their highest ranking in a long time.
Winston also has the numbers to back it up as
well. Winston has 2502 yard passing to go along with 27 total
touchdowns (running/throwing).
There is almost a for sure chance that Winston will be a Heisman
finalist, and may even take the award home if he keeps up his stellar
season. This is the first time in a long time that Florida State fans
have something to cheer about on the football field. This season is
the first time in 13 years that the Seminoles have a Top 3 ranking
heading into the late part of the college football season. Florida
State has seen some success during that time frame, but nothing
compared to the days in the 1990’s.
Quarterback is a vital position on all levels of football. When you
have a signal caller like Winston it can make life a lot easier on the
rest of the team. Around the time when Florida State began to take
their fall from grace they recruited a quarterback by the name of
Adrian McPherson.
McPherson was a dual-threat quarterback like Winston (also wore No.5)
and was Mr. Football and Mr. Basketball in the state of Florida.
McPherson was the Gatorade football player of the year in Florida, and
was one of the highest recruited athletes in the country. McPherson
was expected to keep Florida State in national title contention during
his tenure there, but things did not go as planned.
After showing flashes of his potential in his freshman and sophomore
seasons McPherson was then arrested in 2003. McPherson was arrested
and charged with stealing and forging a signature on a blank check
from a local store. Allegations also surfaced that McPherson was also
tried on allegations that he bet on professional and college football
in 2003. After one too many run-ins then Head Coach Bobby Bowden had
to dismiss McPherson from the team.
Despite having several red flags, McPherson was still drafted in the
5th round by the New Orleans Saints in 2005. McPherson didn’t pan out
in the NFL, but made a name for himself in the CFL and AFL.
As a college football fan I feel that fans were robbed as well as FSU
fans were cheated by not seeing Adrian McPherson reach his potential.
It has been a decade later and Jameis Winston is now delivering for
Noles fans. I know that wait has been a long one, but enjoy the ride,
because Winston is the real deal.
Man I forgot about McPherson, he was suppose to be the man smh