Jan. 06--Jameis Winston will announce whether he will stay at FSU or declare for the NFL Draft next week.
Winston's father, Antonor Winston, told ESPN that the star quarterback is waiting to publicize his decision until after the national championship, which is on Monday.
The former Heisman Trophy winner completed his redshirt sophomore season in disappointing fashion last Thursday as FSU fell to Oregon 59-20 in the Rose Bowl, representing the lone loss for Winston since he became the Seminoles' starting quarterback in 2013.
Considered by most pundits to be a first-round talent -- potentially worthy of being the No. 1 overall pick -- Winston could still benefit from another year of seasoning so he could work on some slight mechanical flaws in his throwing motion while also improving some of his decision making. After throwing 10 interceptions as a freshman, Winston nearly doubled that by throwing 18 interceptions this past season. Still, he is thought to be a pro-ready prospect because of his football IQ, arm strength, accuracy and leadership skills.
Winston is eligible to declare for the NFL Draft -- the deadline for underclassmen to declare is Jan. 15 -- and his biggest hurdle to overcome will be proving to executives that his off-field baggage will not follow him to the pros. An assortment of issues plagued Winston throughout his college career, most notably a rape allegation by a former FSU student. Winston denied the accusation and was never charged with a crime nor was he deemed to have violated the FSU student code of conduct.
