TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher named redshirt freshman Jameis Winston the starting quarterback on Friday, as the Seminoles began preparation for the season-opener at Pittsburgh on Sept. 2 at Heinz Field.
Winston will become the first FSU freshman signal caller to start a season-opener since Drew Weatherford in 2005.
"It was one of the toughest decisions I’ve ever had to go through," says FSU head coach Jimbo Fisher. "I say this – this is not ‘Coach Talk.’ This is not anything else. We truly have two very good quarterbacks and guys I feel very comfortable with either one of them."
Winston and redshirt sophomore Jacob Coker split reps evenly during camp in a close competition that was so even Fisher described his decision as “splitting hairs”.
Fisher added, "(The battle for the starting quarterback job) was a great competition, and I loved the way they handled it between each other, and how the team handled it."
The Seminoles will continue its focus on the Panthers when they wrap up preseason camp on Saturday with a morning practice. Florida State will be looking to pick up a season-opening road victory for the first time since winning at Miami 13-10 to start the 2006 campaign.
