Jameis Winston Reportedly Expected to Declare for 2015 NFL Draft

Jameis Winston has no plans on returning to Florida State for his junior season, but he's not about to run from his off-the-field troubles, either.

According to a report from CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora, Winston unsurprisingly plans to enter the 2015 NFL draft. While that in and of itself is not noteworthy—most have projected the reigning Heisman winner as a top-10 pick—what's interesting is that Winston is currently planning on finishing out his third academic year in Tallahassee.   

As La Canfora notes, there were rumblings Winston would drop out for the second semester to avoid any more off-the-field distractions. Florida State is currently in the process of scheduling a student judiciary hearing for Winston regarding a 2012 sexual assault allegation, and the university is also investigating reports he may have received impermissible benefits in exchange for his autograph.

ESPN.com's Darren Rovell reported roughly 2,000 items bearing Winston's signature were authenticated by James Spence Authentication. There was some talk that Winston would be held out of Saturday's 31-27 win over Notre Dame, but university athletic director Stan Wilcox issued a statement saying the star quarterback would be allowed to play.

"We have no information indicating that he accepted payment for items reported to bear his signature, thereby compromising his athletics eligibility," Wilcox said, per Sean Rossman of the Tallahassee Democrat. "The fact that items appear on an Internet site bearing the signature of a student-athlete does not singularly determine a violation of NCAA rules."

Winston completed 15 of 16 passes in the second half of the Seminoles' comeback win, at times single-handedly carrying the offense down the field.

A redshirt sophomore, Winston has thrown for 1,878 yards and 13 touchdowns against six interceptions this season. His numbers are down in nearly every major statistical category with the exception of completion percentage, though that's in part thanks to shorter passes in 2014. After averaging a jaw-dropping 10.57 yards per attempt as a freshman, he's dropped to a closer-to-pedestrian (but still very good) 8.90 yards per attempt.

In 2013, Winston became the second freshman Heisman Trophy winner in history. He and Oregon's Marcus Mariota are widely considered the two best quarterback prospects in the 2015 class, though Winston's off-the-field transgressions have dropped his stock.

After opening the season with Winston as the No. 1 overall player on his big board, ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. (subscription required) has dropped him to No. 16. There is no telling where the Florida State QB will stand next April, but it's interesting he appears adamant about clearing his name.

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