A look back: The top 10 FSU players of the decade
It's the end of the decade in a few days.
And what that means, of course, is that it's time for yours truly to come up with a list or two about what we watched over the last 10 years.
It was truly a decade like no other in Florida State history. There was a new head coach for the first time in 34 years, a rise to greatness, a Heisman Trophy, a national championship, and a slide back toward mediocrity that became an avalanche when that head coach left for the dusty tundra of College Station.
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Over the weekend, we looked back at the 10 best FSU football games of the past decade. Now, it's time for my list of the Top 10 FSU players from 2010 to 2019.
For the purposes of this list, the player had to play his entire career in the decade. So Christian Ponder and Rodney Hudson, who started out in the late 2000s, didn't qualify. And I tried to give more weight to players who made a major contribution for 3-4 years when possible.
Also worth noting: Derwin James isn't on this list, mainly because he missed 1/3 of his career with an injury. That's not his fault, obviously, but when you see the rest of the names on here, you'll understand how someone like Derwin could be left off. He or Cam Akers would have been No. 11 and No. 12, respectively, if I had extended this. But who's got that kind of time?
Anywho, here you go!
10. Cam Erving
I went back and forth on this one. I needed a player from the national championship offensive line on this list because that was a terrific group, and too often the big dudes up front are ignored on lists like these. Especially at a place like Florida State, which is flooded with great skill players. But I wasn't sure who to pick -- Bryan Stork won the Rimington Trophy as the nation's top center in 2013, and Tre' Jackson was a consensus All-American in 2014. So there were plenty of worthy candidates.
In the end, though, I went with Erving, who came to Florida State as a two-star defensive tackle from Colquitt County, Ga. He wound up becoming a dominant tackle for the national championship team, and then in the middle of 2014, with the offensive line struggling, he moved inside and became one of the best centers in the country. It was staggering the difference he made in the running game when he switched positions. As you'll see, he's one of many players on this list from the 2013 national championship team. And frankly, there could have been more.
9. Bjoern Werner
Ol' Von Stryker himself. Just an all-time great college football player. The German-born defensive lineman came to Florida State as a 3-star project out of a prep school in Connecticut. He wound up becoming one of the most popular -- and best -- players of the decade for the Seminoles.
In his three-year career, he finished with 99 total tackles, 35 tackles for loss and 23.5 sacks. He also had nine pass deflections and one memorable fumble return TD vs. Clemson in 2011. Just imagine if he had stayed for his senior year in 2013. Yikes.
8. DeMarcus Walker
I sure hope this guy doesn't get lost to history. His career in the NFL so far hasn't been great, and he wasn't much of a force during the undefeated stretch of 2013-'14. But holy cow was he good in 2015, and then turned into the Incredible Hulk in 2016.
One of the all-time great defensive linemen in Florida State history, DeMarcus Walker single-handedly took control of the Ole Miss game in the 2016 opener and then was essentially a wrecking ball the rest of the season. He finished that year with 16 sacks and 21.5 tackles for loss for the 10-3 Seminoles. Oh yeah, he also blocked an extra point that helped FSU secure a one-point victory over the Miami Hurricanes that year, too. He was a dominating force, who in truth, deserves to be mentioned with the likes of Simmons, Boulware, Wilson, Wadsworth ... and this next guy.
7. Timmy Jernigan
Two quick Timmy Jernigan stories: First, there was the time during 2013 preseason practice when Jimbo Fisher told me that he had to tell Jernigan to sit out portions of drills so his offense could actually run some plays. And that wasn't the 2018 O-line trying to block him either. Think about what that says about Timmy Jernigan.
And second quick story: In 2013, inexplicably, FSU had just one player on the All-ACC first-team defense. The day that list was released, we in the media asked Terrence Brooks about how odd it was that the best defense in the country had just one representative on the first team. He smiled, said it didn't really matter and then added, "But congrats to Timmy. He definitely deserved it."
Here's the thing: Jernigan wasn't on it (it was another guy on this list). Brooks just assumed he was. When we told Brooks that Jernigan wasn't on the first team, he looked so shocked you would've thought we told him Cason Beatty was replacing him at safety. But anyway, that's how good Jernigan was. His teammate, and fellow NFL Draft pick, just assumed he was the first-team selection because he couldn't fathom people not understanding just how dominant and special No. 8 in garnet was.
6. Jalen Ramsey
What does it say about the talent that rolled through Tallahassee this decade that this dude is sixth on my list? He might wind up in Canton someday for crying out loud, but he can't even crack the Top 5 of the best FSU players of the decade.
There's really not much to write about Ramsey that you guys don't remember.
He was a supreme talent. A legitimate national championship-caliber long-jumper, who played football unlike any track star who has ever lived. He relished contact. He seeked it out. That poor Louisville receiver found that out the hard way when he tried to block him on a screen pass.
I've always thought the reason the 2015 defense was better than the 2014 one, even though it had significantly less talent, was because the younger and more inexperienced players followed Ramsey's lead that season. And if the best defensive back in the country is going to fly around like this, if he's going to play like he's angry at the world, ALL the time, then we better get to playing like that, too.
For my money, he also had the single-best game of any FSU defensive back this decade with his performance at Miami in 2014.
5. Roberto Aguayo
I don't care if you mock this ranking. I don't care what you think about kickers. Or that he flamed out in the NFL. Roberto Aguayo was the best kicker in college football history. And that certainly means he deserves a spot on this list.
He was so good his first two years, so automatic, that when he "only" went 21 of 26 as a junior, we were all wondering, "What in the world is wrong with Roberto?" He never missed an extra point: 198 of 198. And for his career, he was 69 on 78 on field goals. He won the Lou Groza Award as a freshman and then somehow didn't win it as a sophomore, even though he was 27 of 29 during a regular season in which every kick was critical because FSU played nothing but white-knuckle games that year.
This is how good Aguayo was: In that 2014 Miami game, the Seminoles trailed by six points with 7:12 remaining. They faced a 4th-and-5 at the Miami 35. They had Jameis Winston at quarterback. And yet, against all conventional wisdom, Jimbo Fisher decided to attempt a 53-yard field goal to try to cut the lead to three. I'm not sure another coach in college football history would have elected for a field goal try of that length, down six, with that much time left. But nobody else had a kicker like Roberto Aguayo either.
4. Lamarcus Joyner
His performance against Clemson in 2013 was an all-timer. And it made him a household name among college football fans everywhere — even sportswriters in the ACC (he was lone representative on the first-team all-conference defense that year!).
There was the leadership he provided, which was off the charts. There was the physical talent. The speed, the acceleration, the strike-force he had when he made a tackle. All of those were key ingredients to what made Lamarcus Joyner such a great college defensive back. And it can't be overstated how important his commitment was to the building of the FSU program as a five-star prospect in the 2010 class.
But more than anything, I want you to watch one play. It was against Idaho. In a game where the Seminoles wound up winning 80-14. If you want to know what made Lamarcus Joyner so unique, so special, watch what he does on this play.
Just incredible.
3. Rashad Greene
I don't know how else to put it: Just one of the greatest players in Florida State history.
It's not just the numbers. He's the school record-holder in catches (270) and yards (3,830) and is third in touchdowns (29). He was the team's leading receiver all four years of his career — a feat that had never been accomplished before and I can't imagine will ever be accomplished again.
But perhaps most special was the way he came up so big in the biggest games. Clemson fans probably still have night terrors about him. And so do Auburn fans for that matter.
Let us never forget how big Rashad Greene was on the final drive of that game. Obviously, it was Kelvin Benjamin who became a poster. But it was Greene who had the big catch-and-run to get down into Auburn territory (still waiting on that horse-collar call there). And then, facing a third down inside the 10, it was Greene that drew the pass-interference penalty to set up the game-winning TD pass to Benjamin.
Watch that play again if you get the chance. The DB knew he had no chance. So he essentially spun Greene around to avoid him catching the slant for the TD. Otherwise, Florida State fans would have a poster of No. 80 in their offices or living rooms or basements commemorating that victory.
In the biggest moment of the biggest game on the biggest stage, Rashad Greene did what Rashad Greene always did: He made a play. A few seconds later, he was a national champion.
2. Dalvin Cook
One of the all-time crimes ever committed by the Heisman Trophy voters was never getting Dalvin Cook to New York. He was never a finalist for the top prize in the sport even though for the better part of two years he was arguably the best running back in the country.
I am a Heisman voter, and I voted for him twice. Not because I'm a homer either, but because I have eyes.
I never thought I'd see the day where there was a Florida State running back that was better than Warrick Dunn. I always thought he would be the standard. Forever.
After watching the last half of Cook's freshman year, I changed my tune. It was obvious that this guy was unlike any player that had ever come before him. Again, this nothing new. I'm not breaking any new ground with these insights.
"Dalvin Cook is good. We get it, Corey. Try harder."
So with that in mind, I'll just leave his stats for you instead. It's been just a few years since he was here (though, at this point, it seems like two lifetimes ago). But just in case you need a refresher:
2014: 170 rushes, 1,008 yards, 8 TDs; 22 receptions, 203 yards
2015: 229 rushes, 1,691 yards, 19 TDs; 24 receptions, 244 yards, 1 TD
2016: 288 rushes, 1,765 yards, 19 TDs; 33 receptions, 488 yards, 1 TD
CAREER TOTALS: Really, really, really good.
1. Jameis Winston
Not exactly a stunner here. I could have gone with Golson or Maguire just to get everyone talking! But I decided to go with, arguably, the best player Florida State has ever had instead.
Now that we're a half-decade removed from the Jameis Years, I think his greatness has been enhanced even more since his tornado of talent rolled through Tallahassee.
Jimbo's offenses haven't exactly been lighting the world on fire these last five years. And they didn't exactly set things ablaze before Winston either. His offenses are good. Not great. Not elite. Almost never terrible, but not what you'd call scoring machines either.
Except for that one year.
When a kid from Hueytown, Ala., played the position about as well as it could possibly be played. Florida State scored 94 touchdowns in 2013. Ninety. Four. And they did it in a pro-style offense that had one of the slower paces in the country.
Just unbelievable.
And the next year, when the Seminoles seemed to be sluggish in just about every game, the quarterback was still good enough to put together an undefeated season. Because he always seemed to make the play when it absolutely had to be made.
He was a rare mix of remarkable talent and incredible competitiveness.
Jameis Winston was, without a shadow of doubt, the best player of the decade for Florida State.
He might've just been the best player of any decade.
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