2026 Legacy Jonah Winston Discusses Offer from FSU, Carving Out His Own Path To Success

No matter who, when, how or why, it's always difficult to follow in the footsteps of a legend. There is always a standard or a benchmark that is expected from who is next in line, whether it can be considered fair or not. That's exactly the scenario where rising sophomore Jonah Winston finds himself as he tries to carve out a path of his own.

If it isn't obvious, Winston is the younger brother of former Florida State star, Jameis Winston, who won a national championship and Heisman Trophy in Tallahassee before being selected No. 1 overall in the 2015 NFL Draft. That's provided him with a template to success that he's tweaking for his own journey.

"It's a very big deal. He already made the valley for me so all I have to do is follow that but there's still going to be bumps in the road along the way," Winston said to NoleGameday's Dustin Lewis. "Just working on trying to make a name for myself and getting out of his shadow and I feel like I'm starting to get there."

At the same time, having a brother who is competing at the highest level and a father who has already guided one son through the recruiting process is an advantage for Winston. They've both been able to offer him advice early in his prep career.

"Get 1% better at a time," Winston said. "My dad told me, 'you're not done yet, these offers are not for you, it's from God'. Until I start going up north and getting Michigan and other big-time schools, then that's my work. Right now, I haven't done nothing yet, just got to keep working."

The Alabama native is coming off a freshman season where he became the first ninth grader to start a game for Hoover High School at quarterback. He showed promise while contributing in multiple ways across the offense. 

While appearing in eight games, Winston completed 5/8 passes for 39 yards, rushed 12 times for 56 yards and two scores, and caught 12 passes for 127 yards with one touchdown. The Buccaneers finished 11-2 and advanced to the semi-finals of the state playoffs. He's got more on his mind in 2023.

"Trying to get past Thompson, I want to get the blue map [trophy] for my last three years. I want to go threepeat, try to get Mr. Football. Just basically trying to get my team together," Winston said. "Right now, we're kind of separate but I'm trying to get the guys together to know that we're good enough to get past Thompson, we're good enough to go threepeat. And just getting them in the mindset and getting my mindset stronger that we can do it and we can make a difference at Hoover."

Last month, Winston returned to Tallahassee for his second visit to Florida State as a recruit for the Seminole Legacy weekend. He was able to view a practice upon his arrival on Friday before learning some special news later that evening as head coach Mike Norvell extended him a scholarship.

"It was great. First of all, the way that coach Norvell offered me, having my brother there and my nephews and everything, that was very special to me," Winston said. "When I went there, met Jermaine, it just felt like back home, felt good. Finally got some good weather because Birmingham has been very cold. It was just a great experience."

The moment came together during a meeting in coach Norvell's office with Winston's entire family in attendance. The entire room erupted when the head coach spilled the beans.

"It was amazing because I didn't know," Winston said. "My family kept it from me and for my brother to be there, for him to see it, and then going to the baseball game after, it just was great."

"The reaction was great," Winston continued. "Coach Norvell made it clear that it wasn't about my brother, it was about me. When he said it, the whole room erupted. Everybody was happy."

Norvell made it clear that he wasn't offering Winston because of who his brother is. The Seminoles joined his recruitment because they believe in the type of athlete that he's going to develop into.

"He really didn't get into that but he just wanted me to know that if I'm coming, he wants me to be able to come to Florida State," Winston said. "He wants me to go to Florida State. He doesn't want me to come here because of my brother or anything, if I'm at Florida State, he wants me to be here."

During the legacy weekend, Florida State honored Jameis Winston by having him throw out the first pitch prior to a baseball game against Pittsburgh. Winston also gave a message to the football team following practice and spoke at Jermaine Johnson's All-American Brick Ceremony. Jonah is hoping he'll get a moment like that in the future but with a better first pitch.

"That's where I want to get to but I want my moment to be better because he spiked his first pitch so if I get that opportunity I want to be able to throw a strike," Winston said. "Just want to get there, be able to get that respect and just be great at what I do."

Throughout the visit, Winston spent most of his time alongside coach Norvell, quarterbacks coach Tony Tokarz, defensive line coach Odell Haggins, and senior offensive analyst Austin Tucker. He offered his thoughts on Tokarz after getting to build more of that relationship.

"He's an amazing person I can say about how he treated me," Winston said. "I heard that he's got a family of his own. I never got a chance to see his kid because I think I left before that. He's a good person, always has a smile on his face."

Winston was impressed with what he saw during Florida State's practice. He has high hopes for the Seminoles this upcoming season. He watches most of the games and in his words, "always keeps up with Florida State."

"A lot of things stood out. We're getting our size back, we're getting speed back. Jordan, from what I seen he was doing very good, you've got some depth in the quarterback room," Winston said. "It just really felt good. We're starting to get back to the old Florida State and I see why they're probably going to be in the College Football Playoffs next year."

Though he still has three years remaining in his high school career, Winston has already earned scholarship offers from programs such as Florida State, Alabama, Texas A&M, and Auburn. Stanford is a school that has displayed interest but has yet to offer him at this stage.

"It means a lot. It means I can play more relaxed. I've got schools I've always dreamed of having and I can play more relaxed," Winston said. "I can have fun in what I'm doing, I can make the work not about me trying to get stressed about what I need but for me to have fun so I can get better at my craft."

Winston is looking to return to Florida State for a camp over the summer for the second consecutive year. He's also going to visit Auburn, Troy, and some other schools.

Outside of football, he's been playing baseball this spring and spends most of his time at left and centerfield. Winston also runs track but hasn't been able to participate this offseason while focusing on the diamond.

The 5-foot-10, 150-pound athlete has yet to be ranked in the 2026 class according to 247Sports.