Much like Manziel before him, Winston ripped through his competition all season long as a first-year stater, but he did so as the headliner of the country’s eventual No. 1 team. He set national freshman records with 3,820 passing yards and 38 touchdowns, and he finished the year as the country’s leader in passing efficiency (190.1). In October he tossed for 444 passing yards and accounted for four scores in a 51-14 rout of Clemson in Death Valley, perhaps the biggest road win of the year in college football. Moreover, his Seminoles reached the BCS title game opposite Auburn. This all occurred with Winston replacing a first-round NFL draft pick at quarterback in E.J. Manuel. So much for a learning curve, right?
Winston didn’t face many challenges on the field, but his biggest challenge came off of it. The quarterback’s shot at the trophy – and, in reality, much more – was nearly derailed once his involvement in a sexual assault investigation became public last month. Serious allegations loomed over the last few weeks of Winston’s stellar season, putting his record-breaking numbers in perspective as the country awaited a decision on whether charges would be brought against the redshirt freshman.
Though the Florida state attorney’s office eventually decided not enough evidence existed to charge Winston, his implication seemingly had an effect on his candidacy: Of the 900 ballots tabulated, Winston was left off 115 of them entirely. The Heisman Trust’s mission calls to recognize a player who “exhibits a pursuit of excellence with integrity,” something that appeared to weigh heavily on some voters’ minds. The allegations surrounding Winston were much more serious than the well-publicized off-field troubles of Manziel during the offseason, but both situations fed right into the hands of traditional Heisman voters who shy away from underclassmen, many of whom are sometimes considered less mature.
On Saturday Winston reflected on his own personal growth during a tumultuous end to his first college football season. He knew he wouldn’t have reached New York were it not for his own maturation along the way. That’s why standing in front of past Heisman winners brought a sense of vindication to Winston.
“One thing Coach Fisher has always told me – especially through this process – is ‘For you to be a man, the kid in you must die,’” Winston said. “I believe that kid in me has died. I’m always going to have my personality. I’m always going to have my character. But I have to become a man, and that comes through a process.”