As fast as lightning, quicker than a hiccup, and as elusive as they come, Winston Wright Jr. maintains a quiet persona in Tallahassee. Yet, the former West Virginia transfer who missed all of the 2022 college football season due to an injury is ready to change that.
Prepare yourself, nation, for Wright’s coming out party.
Winston Wright Jr. Is Back
Gone like he never left, Wright is ready to put on a show this fall at Florida State.
“Expect the kind of player I was at West Virginia, electric and doing a little bit of everything,” Wright said exclusively to College Football Network.
But before we can get to what you should expect from Wright in 2023, it’s imperative to know where he came from and what led him to Tallahassee.
Wright started his college career at West Virginia after a historic high school athletic career. A Georgia state record-holder in the 200-meter, Wright garnered interest in a bevy of schools at the national level but chose WVU over dozens of other offers.
“We went up there for a couple of days before my birthday,” Wright said about originally signing with WVU. “I just fell in love with the campus, all of it, and ever since that day, I was locked down with WVU.”
“(Originally) I didn’t have WVU on my radar until the coaching staff got in contact with my dad,” Wright continued. “I went home one day, and my dad was like, ‘How come you haven’t talked about West Virginia?’ So I told him it’s far from home, I’m from Savannah, but after visiting, you realize it’s different, it’s smooth, it’s a great place to be.”
Flashing his talent during his freshman season with a 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, this was just the beginning for Wright. Cracking his way into the starting lineup and deserving more praise with his work ethic and on-field skills, Wright saw a massive role in the offense at WVU in his sophomore and junior seasons.
He totaled 47 receptions for 553 yards and two scores as a sophomore and 63 receptions for 688 yards with five touchdowns during his junior season. That only shows a fraction of the impact Wright had on the Mountaineers’ success over his tenure.
MORE: FREE Mock Draft Simulator With Trades
In 2021, he nearly doubled his all-purpose yardage with kick returns alone, scoring another return touchdown in the process. In total, Wright brought in over 1,388 receiving yards during his three-year West Virginia stint and another 1,236 kick return yards.
With 2,621 all-purpose yards to his credit and the ever-changing landscape of college football, Wright hit the transfer portal after West Virginia’s disappointing 6-7 season in 2021.
“When I entered the transfer portal, a lot of people reached out to me, asking if something was wrong,” Wright said of his decision to enter the transfer portal. “I loved my time here, nothing was wrong, I’m grateful for my time at West Virginia.
“I was going into my junior year, I was thinking about the NFL, coming back to school, and just decided it would be best for me to go play somewhere for another year, raise my stock, see what I can do in another conference, another offense.”
Though his ultimate decision in the portal landed him in Tallahassee, Wright didn’t originally have the Seminoles on his radar.
“The craziest thing, FSU wasn’t even a school I was looking to go to,” Wright said. “I was locked in to go to Kentucky, but their offensive coordinator left, and that changed my mind. In the end, after exploring my options, it came down to South Carolina, Georgia, and FSU.
“Coach (Mike) Norvell reached out to me, and that conversation really stuck with me. He got to know me, got to know my dad and my mom. I came down there and knew this was the place for me.”
Seminoles fans rejoiced, WVU fans lamented. But the national audience went too quiet. Wright was a highly-sought after transfer portal athlete with offers from about any school who he could have fielded calls from.
Ultimately, he chose Florida State, and the expectations were sky-high.
Wright Returns for Just His Second Spring Practice Circuit
In March of 2022, Wright was involved in a car accident that left him with a season-ending leg injury. An injury that required surgery.
Quiet on the subject until December, Wright opened up about the injury and accident to the Tallahassee Democrat in December. Wright mentioned the positives over the then-nine months of rehab.
“I feel like it’s a positive for me and my career,” Wright told the Tallahassee Democrat. “Just helped me grow as a person, helped me be there for other guys in the receiver room. Just helped me grow mentally stronger.”
Norvell wasn’t in a rush to get him back on the field, citing that what is best for him is ultimately best for the team.
“We want to make sure that when he steps back on that field, that he is right,” Norvell said to the Democrat. “That he is in all ways playing to the best of his ability. That it will be a secondary thought of what he had to overcome.”
MORE: ACC Weekly Football Schedule
Now, on the heels of a solid spring practice circuit and Florida State Seminole Showcase, Wright is eager for fall to get here. But he isn’t taking anything for granted.
“The crazy thing is, this was just my second spring ball,” Wright said about spring. “I had spring ball cut because of COVID, then I transferred, got hurt, and then came back. This is just my second spring ball, and it was just good to get back out there, back to being me, being able to do the things that I can do. I enjoyed being able to compete again, being able to run routes fast, it was just great.
“I enjoyed every second, every practice.”
That time on the sidelines should absolutely pay dividends for Wright, as he got a full fall season of watching the action from up close and in person.
“Being able to see the game, how the game goes, how we call our plays, learning the whole playbook, it was huge,” Wright said about his time on the sidelines last year. “Having a year under my belt, it felt like when I get back, everything just sort of clicked, and I picked up right where I left off.”
MORE: ACC WR Rankings 2023
A dominant athlete with the ball in his hands, it’s also imperative to understand that the WVU offense may not have pitted to the strength of Wright’s game in full capacity. A movable chess piece on an offense, Wright is capable of lining up anywhere on offense from outside receiver on any side or even in the backfield.
“This offense allows me to showcase my abilities,” Wright said about 2023. “I can line up anywhere and make a name for myself. I can play outside, inside, return kicks, return punts, I envision myself making a name for myself.”
A few months from now, Seminole fans will be able to see that same electric player who can play everywhere on the field. That so-called movable chess piece adds a terrific complementary option to a stacked wide receiver room in Tallahassee.
“I can play everywhere on the field,” Wright said. “The best way I could describe myself is versatile, I don’t have to leave the field, I can play anywhere.”
The fall season can’t come soon enough for most fans around the nation and most athletes eager to play competitive football again. But for Wright, this fall will mean a little bit extra.
And that little bit extra should excite FSU fans far and wide.
