Jimbo Fisher tabs Jameis Winston as the starting quarterback for Florida State in 2013. (Getty Images)

With little fanfare Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher announced today that Jameis Winston would begin the 2013 season as the starting quarterback for the Seminoles.  After they hype, the articles, and the speculation it was a subdued conclusion to the biggest question Nole faithful have had in the offseason.  Fisher didn’t offer up the precious bit of news on his own.  After opening remarks about today’s practice, he opened it up for questions with the normal throng of writers.  The first question, as probably expected, was about the starting quarterback.  Fisher said it, “was one of the toughest decisions I’ve had to go through.”

Jacob Coker didn’t make it an easy decision, according to Fisher, and had an excellent fall camp.  ”We truly have two very good quarterbacks and I feel very comfortable with either one in the game starting and making plays.  It’s gonna take both guys for us to have the season we want to have, but we’ve named the starter and it’ll be Jameis.  Jameis will be the starter.”  Fisher stated that it came down to the consistency that Winston showed for longer stretches.

Now that the big question is answered, there are bigger ones to follow.  Will Winston live up to the hype?  Does he have that magic touch of other recent redshirt freshman quarterbacks?  Players like Aaron Murray in 2010, Marcus Mariota and Johnny Manziel in 2012 have shown that young quarterbacks can star in big time college football.  It’s unfair to heap that kind of expectation on Winston, though, because those types of redshirt freshman seasons are the exceptions and not the rule.  Comb through the Florida State archives and you’ll find even the Seminole greats of the past usually had some growing pains their first season.

In 1992, as a seasoned redshirt junior starting for the first time, Charlie Ward struggled early on throwing eight interceptions in the opening two games versus Duke and Clemson.  The most decorated quarterback in college football history, the 1993 Heisman Trophy winner, finished with 17 interceptions and was benched early on in his career.

Chris Weinke, Florida State’s other Heisman Trophy winning quarterback, suffered a similar fate.  Taking over the reins in 1998 as a sophomore, he would have a inauspicious beginning to his career in the second game of the season.  Not many Seminole fans will forget the 6 interceptions he tossed at NC State that year, leading to the upset.  Thankfully in Weinke’s case, it turned out to be a one game meltdown and he didn’t throw a single pick the rest of the ’98 season.

Are we to expect that Winston is immune from those those troubles and avoid those growing pains?  Not in the least.  There is no doubt that Winston is a special talent, but he needs leeway to grow.  However, while expectations should be tempered, hope should run rampant.