Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston hadn't definitively said whether he would play baseball for the Seminoles this spring. That changed Sunday.
Winston, who won the Heisman on Saturday night, was on CBS' The NFL Today pregame show Sunday and said "of course" when asked if he would play baseball for FSU in 2014. He could end up as the Seminoles' closer.
Winston was a pitcher/outfielder for FSU's baseball team in 2013. He started 20 games in right field and 10 at designated hitter. Winston hit .235 with nine RBIs. He also made 17 relief appearances, going 1-2 with a 3.00 ERA. He struck out 21 in 27 innings.
His status as a baseball player would interfere with his status as FSU's starting quarterback during spring football practice. But FSU worked around it this past spring and will do so again. Indeed, Winston's performance this past spring made him the favorite to win the job heading into fall practice.
Winston, who recently said he wants "to be better than Bo Jackson," is the third Heisman winner from Florida State, and all three have played two sports. Charlie Ward, who won the award in 1993, also played basketball at FSU and later played in the NBA. Chris Weinke, who won the award in 2000, played minor-league baseball for six years before enrolling at FSU at the age of 25.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
