In the wake of Florida State redshirt freshman quarterback Jameis Winston's sterling debut Monday night, there has been plenty of second-guessing from the schools that missed out on him in the recruiting process.
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Winston grew up in Hueytown, Ala., 45 minutes away from the Alabama campus and two hours from Auburn. The Tigers stopped recruiting Winston after securing a commitment from Zeke Pike, now a tight end at Louisville. The Crimson Tide were finalists for Winston's signature, but suffered a rare defeat when he chose the Seminoles.
But Texas finds itself in the familiar position of having its quarterback recruiting dissected from all angles like it's an episode of "Breaking Bad." The Longhorns, after all, famously missed out on in-state prospects Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III and Johnny Manziel.
Winston was ready to join head coach Mack Brown's team, but there was no reciprocation, as Winston's high school coach Matt Scott told CBS Sports.
"I'm an OU fan, but I always wanted to go to Texas. If I'd gotten offer from Texas, I'd be going to Texas right now," Winston said, per ESPN.
Texas sources later downplayed the exact nature of Winston's interest, but the question remains: Is it better to recruit as a defensive back than to have never recruited at all?
Follow Dan Greenspan on Twitter @DanGreenspan.
