Former Florida State Wide Receiver Officially Enters NCAA Transfer Portal
For those who like chaos and drama, Christmas has arrived early with the opening of the latest NCAA Transfer Portal window. Over the next couple of weeks, there will be some surprising players who choose to look for new homes with programs across the country loading up for bidding wars.
There have already been a couple of players from Florida State to announce their intentions to explore their options elsewhere. On Monday, one former member of the program joined them in the portal.
After departing from the team in October, former Seminole wide receiver Winston Wright Jr. pinned a message on social media thanking those for his time in Tallahassee while noting he was officially transferring.
"Florida State, I just want to take a moment to say thank you. Thank you to all of the fans who have supported me during my time here. Thank you to my coaches and teammates who I've built great connections with. Things may not have gone exactly as planned for all of us this season, but this place will always hold a place in my heart. With that being said, I am officially going to be entering the transfer portal and I look forward to the next chapter."
Upon his decision to leave the team following Florida State's win over Virginia Tech, head coach Mike Norvell noted that he'll 'forever love' Wright Jr. after his tenure in Tallahassee was marred by a leg injury he suffered as a passenger in a car accident. He concluded his time in garnet and gold with four catches for 36 yards and three kick returns for 74 yards.
"Everybody's got one chance going through this journey and Winston, I love him. He's a great young man, wish him all the best in his future," Norvell said during his weekly press conference. "He's been through challenging situations, I mean obviously what he went through last year, it was hard and it was hard for everybody. Just the ebb and flow of rehabbing to get back and it doesn't necessarily go how you want. Ultimately, he was back and he was working, continuing to build to increase a role."
"This is very competitive, you're here at Florida State. Every day is going to be a challenge, you're going to get pushed. All I ask is that whatever your situation, whatever your circumstance is you just go pour it all into it," Norvell continued. "Winston has got a great future in front of him, whatever decision he makes whether it's to continue on. He's got another year of eligibility that he can utilize and I'm going to cheer for that kid forever. We support him as he makes decisions but no matter who you are, if you can't put all into it or if there's other things that are going on, I support them in whatever they choose to do. I'll forever love that young man for the journey he's been on and who he is."
Prior to transferring to Florida State in 2022, Wright Jr. spent three seasons at West Virginia. He totaled 129 catches for 1,338 yards with seven receiving touchdowns while returning 50 kicks for 1,236 yards and two more scores with the Mountaineers.
Outside of Wright Jr. players such as quarterback AJ Duffy, running back CJ Campbell, tight end Markeston Douglas, tight end Preston Daniel and linebacker Dylan Brown-Turner have entered the portal.
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