The greatest players in Florida State football history

Biletnikoff was such a good college wide receiver during the 1960s that there’s an award named in his honor. Though injuries plagued Biletnikoff early in his Florida State career, he was a consensus All-American by the end. (He also played defense as a junior.) As a senior in 1964, Biletnikoff had 70 receptions and led the nation with 1,179 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns. His then-school-record 13 catches for 194 yards and four touchdowns during the 1964 Gator Bowl is considered one of the all-time great performances in college football history.

While Fred Biletnikoff might be the most well-known receiver outside the Tallahassee faithful, Sellers is arguably the best pass-catcher to suit up for the Seminoles. Sellers, who played just 30 collegiate games, ranks second at Florida State in career receptions (212), receiving yards (3,598) and seventh in touchdowns (23). Meanwhile, his 86 receptions from 1968 are the second-most for a single season with the Seminoles. Sellers’ 260 yards versus Wake Forest and 259 against South Carolina in 1968 rank Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, in Florida State history. He joins Biletnikoff among the 11 players to have their uniforms honored by Florida State.

The all-time leading tackler in Florida State history with 512, Carter might not be a household name outside Tallahassee. Yet, he earned Hall of Fame status from the university and has long been celebrated as one of the best defenders in Seminoles’ history. Perhaps making things even sweeter for Seminoles fans is that Carter hailed from Gainesville — home of the rival Florida Gators. Carter’s 181 tackles from 1977 are still the most of any Florida State player for a single campaign. 

A two-time consensus All-American (1979, ’80), Simmons is regarded as the best nose guard ever to play for the Seminoles. From that position, he recorded 383 tackles, ranking among the top five in school history for a career. Simmons’ 12 career sacks reside within the top 10 in program history, and the five he recorded against North Texas State in 1977 are tied for the most by a Seminole. His 44 tackles for loss are tied for fourth-most by a Florida State player. Simmons is also the program leader with 17 forced fumbles.

Casual fans of Florida State football might not remember, or even be aware, of just how good a college running back Allen was in the 1980s. For more than 20 years, Allen’s 3,769 yards were the most in school history for a career. That total ranks third all-time at Florida State, while his 44 touchdowns are second. Allen still holds the Seminoles’ single-season rushing touchdowns record with 20 from 1982. While his 322 yards against Western Carolina in 1981 are the most in one game from any Florida State rusher. 

“Prime Time” never won a Heisman Trophy, but is he the greatest football player in Florida State history? Perhaps. He’s probably the most popular. Sanders, a two-time unanimous All-American who also played baseball and was a member of the track and field program at Florida State, is tied for third in school history with 14 career interceptions. The 1988 Jim Thorpe Award winner’s four pick-sixes are tied for the most among all Seminoles. Sanders ranks first at Florida State with 1,429 career punt return yards and is tied for the top spot with three punt returns for touchdowns.

For as great as Deion was at Florida State, it’s Buckley who is the school’s all-time interceptions leader with 21 — and the NCAA leader with 501 interception return yards. The 1991 Jim Thorpe Award winner, Buckley picked off a school-record 12 passes during his stellar 1991 season for the Seminoles. Throw in Buckley’s cover skills on the corners, and it’s no wonder he’s not only considered one of the best defensive backs ever to play at Florida State but among the greatest to ever play the game.

In 1992, Jones was the best defensive player in the nation. He has the Butkus Award, Lombardi Award, and Lambert Trophy to prove it. A two-time consensus All-American (1991, ’92), Jones ranks seventh in school history with 369 career tackles for the Seminoles. In addition to having his No. 55 honored by the Seminoles, Jones was recently inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, making him the eighth Florida State player to receive said honor.

Ward will go down as one of the most versatile collegiate athletes. He opted for a career in the NBA after not being selected in the first round of the NFL Draft. Still, Ward was the first Florida State player to win the Heisman Trophy. That came in 1993 when Ward threw for 3,032 yards with 27 touchdowns and four interceptions. He ran for another 349 while winning most of the other national player of the year awards that season. The Seminoles went 22-2 with Ward as a starter, and he finished his college career with 5,747 passing yards, 49 touchdowns, 22 interceptions, and completing 62.3 percent of his passes while also yielding 889 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground.

Like many others on this list, Brooks was one special NFL performer with a rightful place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Brooks is also a member of the College Football Hall of Fame. A standout linebacker, after beginning his collegiate career as a safety for the Seminoles, Brooks posted 274 tackles, 8.5 sacks, and five interceptions. He was named 1993 ACC Defensive Player of the Year in 1993 and twice earned consensus All-American honors (1993, ’94).

Kanell began his Florida State career as Charlie Ward’s backup. However, when it was time for Kanell to take over the reins of the Seminoles’ offense full-time, he held his own. He spent two seasons as an FSU starter. As a senior in 1995, he was named ACC Player of the Year while throwing for 2,957 yards with 32 touchdowns and 13 touchdowns. Kanell, who went 21-3-1 as a starter, ranks among the school’s top-10 passers in yards (6,372), completions (529), and touchdowns (57) while completing 62.2 percent of his passes.

Following in the footsteps of Seminoles’ teammate Derrick Brooks, Boulware earned ACC Defensive Player of the Year in 1996. After three seasons at Florida State, Boulware recorded 34 sacks, which rank second in program history. His 19 from that special 1996 season remain the most by a Seminoles player. Following that successful career at Florida State, Boulware earned NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honors, was a four-time Pro Bowler, and won a Super Bowl with the Baltimore Ravens.

Dunn ranks second all-time in school history with 3,959 rushing yards, including three straight seasons of at least 1,000, and sits third with 37 touchdowns on the ground. He also remains one of the best receiving backs in college football history, catching 132 career passes for 1,314 with 12 touchdowns. Dunn was a three-time All-ACC First-Team selection, and his No. 28 jersey has been honored by the university as one of the program’s legendary performers. 

Warrick sits third all-time in school history with 207 career receptions and 3,517 receiving yards. However, his 32 touchdown receptions amassed at Florida State remains a school record. A three-time first-team All-ACC pick and two-time consensus All-American (1998, ’99), Warrick totaled 249 yards at Clemson in 1997 — third-most in school history. He was also a fine returner for the Seminoles.

One of only three kickers in NFL history to be drafted in the first round. There have been other kickers at Florida State that enjoyed more statistical success, but Janikowski is still talked about as one of the greats in college football history at his position. He’s the only back-to-back winner of the Lou Groza Award and finished his Seminoles’ career 126-for-129 on extra points and 66-of-83 (.795 percentage that ranks second in school history) on field goals. The 56-yard field goal he made versus Wake Forest in 1997 is tied for the second-longest in Florida State history.

There will be some die-hard Seminole fans who would question Reynolds’ spot on this list. But he was a unanimous first-team All-American and the Lombardi Award winner in 2000 — the same season Reynolds recorded 12 sacks (tied for eighth-most in school history on a campaign). His 23.5 sacks are tied for sixth all-time in school history, while the 33 tackles-for-loss he posted during his Florida State career also rank among the program’s leaders.

The second Seminole to win the Heisman Trophy, Weinke did so by recording 4,167 yards (most in school history) passing yards with 33 touchdowns and 11 interceptions during the 2000 season. That came one season after he helped Florida State to a 12-0 record and national championship. Weinke’s 9,839 career passing yards, 650 completions, and 79 touchdown passes are all still the most in school history. He went 32-3 as a starter and was also the only Florida State quarterback to post two games with at least 500 yards passing.

While Werner’s NFL career didn’t pan out like most pundits or Seminoles fans thought, there’s no denying his career at Florida State put him in a position to be a first-round pick of the Indianapolis Colts. In three years with the Seminoles, Werner worked his way up to recording 23.5 sacks (tied for sixth all-time) and 35 tackles for loss. His 13 sacks during the 2012 season were a big reason Werner was named ACC Defensive Player of the Year. 

Winston has not always been a model citizen during and after his career at Florida State, but we’re talking about his football accomplishments. Winston is the most recent Seminole to win the Heisman Trophy, doing so in 2013, when he threw for 4,057 yards (second in school history) with 40 touchdowns (most in school history) and 10 interceptions. The Seminoles went 12-1 that season but lost in the national title game to Oregon — Winston’s only defeat in 27 starts at Florida State. Winston ranks third all-time in passing yards (7,964) and second in touchdowns (65).

Unsurprisingly, Cook has enjoyed a strong start to his NFL career. He left Florida State as the school’s all-time leading rusher with 4,464 yards — and the only Seminole to reach the 4,000 mark. He also owns the top-two best rushing seasons at Florida State, with 1,765 yards in 2016 and 1,691 in ’15. A two-time All-ACC First-Team performer and unanimous All-American (2016), Cook is also the school’s career leader with a hefty 46 rushing touchdowns