Jameis Winston finished what he started at Florida State University this weekend when he walked on the graduation stage. The New Orleans Saints starting quarterback lived up to his 2017 promise to his mother by completing his undergraduate education.
“That’s a big accomplishment,” Winston said to Bucs Wire. “I’ve got to get my mama that degree. How many of you are going to get your mama that degree?”
Winston began taking online classes at FSU during the spring of 2017 and the summer before the beginning of the 2017 NFL season. At the time, he was only 26 credit hours away from his degree.
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The Graduate
Now Winston has a Bachelor of Science in Sociology to add to his incredible legacy at Florida State University. The 28-year-old won a national championship, bowl game MVP, and Heisman Trophy before being drafted No. 1 overall during the 2015 Draft to become the quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
He was part of a huge Florida State class of a reported 7,200 graduates. FSU football head coach Mike Norvell came to support Winston, congratulating him on graduating.
#NoleFamily Congratulations @Jaboowins on graduating! Such an incredible Seminole! #KeepCLIMBing https://t.co/J277zZHR3U pic.twitter.com/949UZig5Gs
— Mike Norvell (@Coach_Norvell) April 30, 2022
“Congratulations [Winston] on graduating! Such an incredible Seminole!” Norvell posted on Twitter.
An FSU Legend
During his collegiate career, Winston tallied 7,964 passing yards, with 65 touchdowns, compared against 28 interceptions. Winston left college after two years and made his presence known through the ups and downs of his seven-year NFL career.
Winston became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for over 4,000 yards in their first two seasons. He also helped lead the Bucs to a 9-7 record in their first winning season since 2010.
This year Saints re-signed Winston to a two-year, $28 million contract with $21 million in guarantees. In addition, Winston received a $14 million signing bonus. The free agent got re-signed after the Saints fell short in their attempt to acquire Deshaun Watson.
In 2015, Jameis Winston left Florida State for the NFL.
Since then, the QB has been taking online classes to finish his required coursework.
Today, 7 years later, he returned to FSU to receive his college diploma 🎓
(📸: @FSUFootball) pic.twitter.com/N7RV5dua4d
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) April 30, 2022
Top Slot
During the 2021 season, the Saints lost Winston to injury early last season when in Week 8 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers he had to leave the game in the second quarter due to a knee injury. Winston had a torn ACL and MCL damage, which abruptly ended his season.
However, many believe that Winston showed enough to be given the top spot for the Saints.
“I look at Jameis Winston, and I say, ‘No, I’m, going to build a team around Jameis Winston because I’ve seen Jameis at this level do a lot of good things,’ former NFL QB Kurt Warner recently on the “Rich Eisen Show” during the buildup to the draft.
“I know, he’s got to get out of his own way, and he’s got to get better at protecting the football. We all understand that. But what I’ve seen on tape from Jameis Winston to me is better than what I’ve seen from any of these guys, so I don’t do that. I had Jameis for that partial — what he did last year for a few games — and I thought he was doing some really good things in that time period.”
Winston fulfilled every student-athlete accomplishment at Florida State and now he has the cap and gown to top it off.
