Jameis Winston Named Buccaneers Starting Quarterback over Mike Glennon

In a move that was widely expected when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft, Jameis Winston was officially named the team's starting quarterback Friday.

NFL Network's Jeff Darlington tweeted the official statement made by Bucs head coach Lovie Smith:

Despite Smith's quick decision, he admitted that the former Heisman Trophy winner still has a long way to go in his development as an NFL quarterback before facing the Tennessee Titans in Week 1, according to PewterReport.com:

Third-year signal-caller Mike Glennon was technically in the running for Tampa's starting job as well, but since Winston lost just one game in two years at Florida State and led the Seminoles to a national title, his fate as an instant starter in the NFL was essentially sealed.

Winston's maturity has long been questioned due to multiple off-field issues at FSU, but some also wondered about his work ethic in terms of conditioning when this Instagram photo surfaced in March:

The new face of the franchise is currently confident in his weight, though, and believes he will continue to get in even better shape, per ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas.

"I'm 236 [pounds] right now," Winston said. "And I know in this Tampa heat during training camp, I'm going to lose a little bit more. I'm back at a good weight. I'm just looking forward to going out there and balling out."

Winston also received a major vote of confidence from wide receiver Mike Evans at Bucs training camp.

"If he's named the starter, I think he'll be a great player," Evans said, per Joe Kania of Buccaneers.com. "He works hard, [he has a] great motor and [he's] an amazing football talent. He's one of the hardest workers I've been around, so I think he'll do fine."

With Winston seemingly ready and willing to commit himself to becoming great, and his teammates firmly behind him, Smith likely didn't see any point in drawing out the process of naming a starter.

There will undoubtedly be a learning curve for Winston to navigate, but rookie quarterbacks have enjoyed some success in recent years. Derek Carr of the Oakland Raiders threw for 21 touchdowns last season, while Andrew Luck, Russell Wilson and Robert Griffin III all shined as rookies in 2012.

Provided Winston can harness his raw talent and create a rapport with weapons like Evans and Vincent Jackson, he could quickly become one of the best signal-callers the NFL has to offer. 

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