ESPNHS honors 18 male teen athletes who are doing remarkable things on the field, in the classroom and in their communities. Click here to read about them.
You might know Jameis Winston from last summer's Elite 11 series on ESPN. Competing in the same event that helped catapult Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers to stardom back in the day, Winston showed the great arm and leadership skills that make him a can't-miss prospect on the gridiron. He gained a huge fan in Elite 11 counselor (and Super Bowl champion) Trent Dilfer and copped co-MVP honors at the event.
What you might not know, however, is that the 17-year-old Winston could probably make this list based on his
football or baseball exploits. Put them together and it's a no-brainer.
The Hueytown (Hueytown, Ala.) senior is the nation's No. 1 quarterback and won
Gatorade State Player of the Year and Under Armour All-America Game MVP honors this past season. In 2011, the charismatic signal-caller threw for 2,424 yards and 28 touchdowns (with only two interceptions), while also rushing for 1,063 yards and 15 touchdowns.
But Winston is also a potential early-round pick in this year's MLB draft. He went 8-3 with 93 strikeouts as a pitcher and hit .424 with seven homers at the plate last spring. Winston was rated the
No. 50 prospect (which includes high school and college players) for the 2012 draft by ESPN's Keith Law.
So he'll soon have to choose between a seven-figure bonus check and quarterbacking Florida State. Either way, we'll be hearing a lot more from Winston real soon.