Top QB recruit commits to 'Noles

Times wires
Wednesday, August 3, 2011

The nation's top quarterback recruit has orally committed to Florida State.

Jameis Winston of Hueytown (Ala.) High, who was recruited by Alabama and LSU, made his announcement Wednesday on ESPNU. Oral commitments are not binding; signing day is Feb. 1

"It's been tough the whole time, and I feel very comfortable with my decision," Winston said. "Alabama fans are probably going to hate me, but my job right now is not to please the fans or people in general."

ESPN.com rates him as the nation's top quarterback while Rivals.com lists him as the No. 1 dual-threat QB.

Winston passed for 2,342 yards and 17 touchdowns as a junior, rushing for 870 yards and 11 touchdowns. Hueytown is just southwest of Birmingham.

The multisport athlete may be a better baseball player than football player. Some believe the switch-hitter will never set foot on a college campus and will instead sign with a major-league team to play outfield after projected to be a high pick in the 2012 MLB draft.

Winston is the fourth 2012 player the Seminoles have landed from Alabama.

Irish receiver Floyd reinstated after DUI

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly reinstated Michael Floyd to the team, 4½ months after the star receiver was charged with drunken driving.

"We haven't reached a destination point," Kelly said at a news conference with Floyd. "He knows he has all eyes on him. There is an intense amount of scrutiny, cynics out there who look at this as we had this put together since Day One. We can't change what people think."

Floyd, who has caught more touchdowns than any player in Notre Dame history, said he has been to counseling, has changed his circle of friends and will stay in a residence hall instead of moving off campus.

In response to a question, he said he hadn't had a drink at a bar since his arrest in March but acknowledged he had been in a bar to socialize.

Floyd, 21, pleaded guilty in June to misdemeanor charges and was sentenced to a year of probation.

The school's disciplinary arm did not suspend Floyd, though it was his third alcohol-related brush with the law in two years. Kelly had suspended him a short time after his arrest.

"I know I let a lot of people down," Floyd said.

Ex-Gator to miss season: Former Gators receiver Javares McRoy, who transferred to Texas Tech, will sit out the upcoming season in accordance with NCAA transfer rules. McRoy, who reportedly sustained a collapsed lung during the spring, will have four years of eligibility.

Potato takeover: The Humanitarian Bowl will become the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl after the Idaho Potato Commission signed a six-year naming-rights deal to underwrite the Boise, Idaho, game through 2016.

BASKETBALL: Road games at Ohio State and Syracuse highlight Florida's 2011-12 nonconference schedule. The Gators play four in-state teams and play games in Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville and Sunrise. Their lone exhibition pits coach Billy Donovan against his son, Billy, a sophomore guard for Catholic University, located in Washington, D.C. Florida plays Wright State at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa on Nov. 21 (schedule, 2C).

Source: http://www.tampabay.com/sports/top-qb-recruit-commits-to-noles/1184189

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