Jameis Winston believed Stanford to be "epitome" of college football before joining Florida State

Jameis Winston believed Stanford to be "epitome" of college football before joining Florida State. He considered Stanford to be the "dream school" due to its combination of academics and athletics. He was drawn to the idea of playing both baseball and football there, similar to John Elway.

“I was very close to going to Stanford in my mind, right,” Winston said on Pardon My Take. “Sanford was the dream school that I’ve always thought that I would be at playing baseball and football at because you just think about John Elway, right?

"So, academically and athletically, I thought that was the epitome of going somewhere and playing football, but I knew that I could not be that far away from (Bessemer) Alabama?”

Cleveland Browns quarterback Jameis Winston (5) reacts during the game against Baltimore Ravens - Source: Imagn

He said that the experience on his official visit, when he got to speak with Cardinal coach David Shaw and Condoleezza Rice, was "unmatched." Even so, he ultimately chose Florida State, partly because he felt it was closer to home.

Winston, who acknowledged that he was very close to attending Stanford, won a national championship and the Heisman Trophy in 2013 at FSU, his only season of college football.

Jameis Winston discussed his top three players for the Heisman Trophy this season

Jameis Winston discussed his top three players for the Heisman Trophy this season, naming Travis Hunter (Colorado), Cam Ward (Miami) and Shedeur Sanders (Colorado) as the most deserving. Winston voted for all three but did not rank them in any particular order.

“Who did I vote for? Well, I voted for Shedeur,” Winston began on "Pardon My Take" on Tuesday. “I voted for Travis, and I voted for Cam … no order. But I know Shedeur … what he has encompassed throughout his whole collegiate career.

“It’s similar to (Oregon's) Bo (Nix), because I got a chance to be in the same state as Bo and see him show up. But we all got to witness Shedeur’s maturation process, even when Deion was coaching the high school team in Dallas, like, they had a TV show back then.”

While not an outright pick, Winston said the three players were most deserving of the Heisman.

Hunter won the Heisman due to his skills as a wide receiver and defensive back. He had 92 catches for 1,152 yards and 14 touchdowns as a receiver. He also recorded 32 tackles, 11 deflections, four interceptions and a forced fumble as a cornerback.

Ashton Jeanty (Boise State) was also a Heisman finalist but was not mentioned by Jameis Winston.