Florida State football: Winston Wright Jr. speaks for first time about car accident, injury rehab

Nov 27, 2021; Lawrence, Kansas, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers wide receiver Winston Wright Jr. (1) is tackled by Kansas Jayhawks linebacker Gavin Potter (19) during the first half at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
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Winston Wright Jr. always stayed upbeat.

The first-year transfer from West Virginia University had high hopes for his inaugural Florida State football season. He was widely expected to immediately emerge as the Seminoles’ No. 1 wide receiver.

Those aspirations were crushed when Wright was involved in a car accident in March, which left him with a season-ending leg injury that required surgery. In the months that followed, though, Wright’s coaches and teammates perpetually raved about how his spirit never wavered.

Wright reflected that narrative in his first interview with the media since the accident Thursday.

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“These last nine months, I feel like it’s a positive for me, my career,” Wright said. “Just helped me grow as a person, helped me be there for other guys on the team in the receiver room. Just helped me grow mentally stronger.”

When will Winston Wright Jr. return?

When Wright would be back on the field remained in question for much of the season.

It never seemed like Wright would be ready in time for the Seminoles’ opener against Duquesne on Aug. 27. He then was seen walking with a noticeable limp at the games he attended early in the season. But as Wright started to participate in practice in limited fashion, more questions arose about his status.

Throughout the season, FSU coach Mike Norvell played coy about Wright’s injury timetable. He offered more specifics about Wright following practice Thursday.

“We want to make sure that when he steps back on that field, that he is right,” Norvell said. “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.

“But he had a really good year. I’m so proud of him. Some of the metrics that he was able to hit in that rehab were remarkable. It never got to the point where anybody was ready to say, ‘All right, let’s force this,’ when it was not time.

“He has had the right mindset.”

The Seminoles added Wright in hopes that he would transform their receiver room, which had struggled in two seasons under Norvell.

No player on FSU’s roster had eclipsed 400 yards in a season. Wright accomplished that feat twice in three seasons with the Mountaineers. Last season, he recorded a team-high 688 receiving yards and five touchdowns on 63 catches while garnering second-team All-Big 12 honors.

The 5-foot-10, 183-pound speedster also was a dynamic kickoff returner. He accumulated 618 yards and a touchdown across 23 kickoffs last season, which came to an average of 26.9 yards per return (19th nationally).

“When I got hurt, yeah, I did think I was going to play,” Wright said. “But just talking to the coaching staff, it made more sense for me to hold off and come back (next season) so I could be at my full potential.”

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'We are just getting started'

Losing Wright left the Seminoles without much proven production at receiver.

Their three other first-year transfers at the position – Johnny Wilson (Arizona State), Mycah Pittman (Oregon) and Deuce Spann (Illinois) – had never reached 250 receiving yards in a collegiate season.

Any concerns were quickly erased, though, after how much FSU’s receiver unit dramatically improved.

Johnny Wilson (35 catches, 695 yards, 5 TDs) and Ontaria Wilson (25 catches, 421 yards, 3 TDs) cleared the 400-yard mark before the bowl game. The Seminoles also have a staggering 11 players averaging more than 10 yards per reception.

Pro Football Focus gives FSU its sixth-highest receiving grade (84.3) in the country.

“That whole room is special,” Wright said. “With the pieces that we have coming back, I feel like we will be more dangerous. We will have a whole year together and a whole offseason to get even more better.”

Every receiver for the Seminoles – besides sixth-year senior Ontaria Wilson – is eligible to return for next season.

Johnny Wilson, who could leave early for the NFL Draft, will be among players to monitor in the coming weeks. It’s worth mentioning that on Nov. 16, FSU NIL collective Rising Spear announced that it signed Wilson as a brand ambassador.

Wright announced Monday that he expects to be back. If Wilson follows suit, the Seminoles should continue to have one of the better receiving groups nationally.

“I feel like we are just getting started,” Wright said. “I’m very excited. Next year, we are going to have a good team. Me just being able to add to this team that we have is going to be big.

"I’m very excited to get back to myself.”

Reach Carter Karels at ckarels@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter @CarterKarels. You can also follow our coverage on Facebook (NoleSports) and Instagram (tlhnolesports).

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU football: Winston Wright speaks for first time about car accident, injury