Jameis Winston grew up in the State of Alabama, so it’s no surprise he was heavily recruited by NIck Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide Football program.
Ultimately, Winston opted to head south and join Jimbo Fisher and the Florida State Seminoles despite having his pick from pretty much any college program in the country.
Why did Winston pick FSU?
The Seminoles head coach had a chip on his shoulder after working under Nick Saban at LSU and Bobby Bowden at Florida State and wanted to prove that he could win big while running his own program.
Jameis Winston viewed that as an attractive situation to be a part of, he recently said on Pardon My Take.
“Jimbo had a lot to prove. Jimbo was coming from LSU. He was filling in the steps of Bobby Bowden, the legend coach. And this is Florida State. Like, I get it, Florida State isn’t in the SEC, but historically this has been a dominant college,” Jameis Winston said.
The NFL veteran admitted part of it was to help Fisher get out of the shadow of Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide program.
“And for you to fill up the shoes of Bobby Bowden, and for people to always connect you with Nick Saban your entire career, you have a chip on your shoulder to say, ‘Hey, I’m going to accomplish something.’”
Winston signed with Florida State over Alabama and others, upsetting local Crimson Tide fans. However, he felt like he was going into the right situation for him. That decision clearly worked out as Winston won the Heisman and a national title during his time at Florida State.
“Some people aren’t wired the way that others [are]. You hear the term, ‘We ain’t cut from the same cloth.’ I instantly knew Jimbo and I were cut from the same cloth,” Winston said. “Because Jimbo wanted a championship, and he was going to do whatever he could to get that.”
Jameis Winston Makes Shocking Claim About Disgusting Gestures From Alabama Crimson Tide Fans
Clearly the hometown fans weren’t happy when the local kid and highly touted QB prospect chose Florida State over Alabama, but Winston claims some of the Tide faithful took it to another level.
Winston appeared on Pardon My Take recently and shared the reaction around Alabama after he committed to FSU. Winston attended Hueytown High in Hueytown, Alabama, about 45 miles from the University of Alabama.
“I’m a kid from Alabama. I’m 35 minutes from Alabama. Listen, when I committed to Florida State, the things that happened to me and my family was unbelievable,” Jameis Winston said. “Living in the state of Alabama, 35 minutes from Tuscaloosa, I mean, my mailbox getting beat down. Thank the Lord Home Depot had these mailboxes you could stick in the ground.”
In addition to his mailbox, Winston believes other damage was done to his property, even though he doesn’t necessarily have proof it came from Alabama Crimson Tide fans.
“This is something that’s serious — I still don’t have grass that grows in my front yard at my hometown house. I still don’t,” Winston said. “Because I feel like somebody poisoned my grass. … Something happened. Like, how does my grass stop growing? And I smelt gasoline when I got home. Like, me and my dad, we talk about this.”
College football is supposed to be fun and entertaining, Rivalries and trash talk are part of what makes the sport so great, but this sounds like Winston and his family were facing downright harassment. At this point, it’s water under the bridge, but hopefully no other stories like this emerge from recruits from the past or present.