Mike Norvell Comments On Winston Wright Jr. Departing From Florida State

Norvell offered his thoughts on the veteran wide receiver moving on from the Seminoles.

Florida State experienced an unexpected departure over the weekend when wide receiver Winston Wright Jr. chose to leave the team sometime after the victory against Virginia Tech. He was removed from the roster on Sunday and the news was confirmed through a program spokesperson.

READ MORE: Veteran Wide Receiver Is No Longer Listed On Florida State's Roster

With the Seminoles moving forward into preparation to take on Syracuse, head coach Mike Norvell had the first opportunity to comment on Wright Jr.'s decision during his press conference on Monday morning.

"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."

Wright Jr. didn't play an offensive snap during Florida State's victory against Virginia Tech with redshirt junior Ja'Khi Douglas returning to the lineup. His role was expected to continue to diminish with Douglas and true freshman Destyn Hill soaking up the majority of snaps in the slot.

It's been a frustrating period for Wright Jr. during his time with the Seminoles. He was expected to make a major impact after transferring over from West Virginia but a car accident in the spring kept him out for the entirety of the 2022 season. Wright Jr. worked his way back over the past year to record four catches for 36 yards and three kick returns for 74 yards this year.

During his three seasons at West Virginia. Wright Jr. totaled 129 catches for 1,338 yards with seven receiving touchdowns while returning 50 kicks for 1,236 yards and two more scores.

The Georgia native is expected to have one season of eligibility remaining. The NCAA Transfer Portal is scheduled to open in nearly two months - December 4.

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