FSU football: Reaction to Winston Wright returning for 2023 season

FSU football got some great news Monday as wide receiver Winston Wright confirms he’ll return to the Noles in 2023 after missing all of the 2022 season.

A car accident injured Wright pretty badly this spring and it was always up in the air whether or not he’d return to the field this season.

Wright indicated he planned to play in 2022 and enter the NFL Draft after having a productive year at West Virginia in 2021.

Wright was FSU’s most coveted and proven wide receiver from the portal last recruiting cycle, and many wondered if his injury would severely impact a wide receiver room with questions going into the season.

The only question I wonder now is how much more prolific would the offense have been if he had not gotten injured in the car wreck.

Also, how much would Wright have impacted special teams as a kickoff returner? The good news is we’ll get the answers to those questions in 2023(as long as Jordan Travis returns, and this is likely a good indicator that’ll happen.

FSU doesn’t lose a ton off of an offense that was the most explosive in the nation. The majority of the receiving production should return aside from Ontaria Wilson, who has exhausted eligibility.

FSU doesn’t throw the ball nearly as much as West Virginia in 2021, but Wright had 63 receptions for 688 yards and five touchdowns. Johnny Wilson led FSU with 35 receptions in 2022 but likely should have had at least 45 as he dropped several balls this year.

Mycah Pittman was second with 29 receptions, and Ontaria Wilson had 25. I don’t think it’s unreasonable for Wright to replace Wilson’s production, plus Wilson missed one game this year. It looks like the FSU passing offense has the potential to ascend to another level in 2023.