After narrowly avoiding an upset defeat in the first round of the Warchant Bracket Challenge, No. 2 seed offensive lineman Pat Tomberlin was not as fortunate this time around. Tomberlin was defeated handily by No. 3 seed Rodney Hudson, who grabs one of the coveted spots in the Sweet 16 of our quest to determine the fans' choice for greatest player in FSU football history.
Hudson advanced with nearly 72 percent of the vote, while No. 1 seed Walter Jones cruised past No. 5 seed Clay Shiver with 64.5 percent of the vote.
The action continues today with two matchups in the Defensive Line regional.
No. 1 seed Peter Boulware vs. No. 4 seed Reinard Wilson
No. 2 seed Andre Wadsworth vs. No. 3 seed Corey Simon
If you need more information and insight, we present bios on each player below:
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All voting will be done on our Tribal Council message board, and the voting window is 24 hours. Each round offers an opportunity for Warchant subscribers to win a $25 e-card to Garnet & Gold. That prize will go to the person who makes the most compelling and/or original argument for their vote.
If you already know who gets your vote, click here to make your picks on the Tribal Council:
The Matchups
No. 1 seed Peter Boulware vs. No. 4 seed Reinard Wilson
Peter Boulware holds the Florida State record for sacks in a season with 19 in 1996. He ranks second all time with 34 career sacks (Reinard Wilson has the record with 35.5), and he would have shattered the mark if he had stayed for his senior year. During that 1996 season, the lightning-fast Boulware was the ACC Defensive Player of the Year, a unanimous first-team All-American and the Football News National Defensive Player of the Year. The South Carolina native, who burst onto the scene with 10 sacks as a sophomore in 1995 (despite only starting two games), was one of the key cogs in a 1996 defense that allowed just 11.1 points per game in the regular season and finished with an astounding 67 sacks. Boulware was the No. 4 overall pick of the 1997 NFL Draft and went on to a stellar pro career.
Reinard Wilson finished his career at Florida State as the all-time sacks leader in school history with 35.5. He racked up 11 as a sophomore, nine as a junior and then 13.5 in 1996, as he and teammate Peter Boulware became the first-ever consensus All-America defensive ends from the same team. Wilson was the Seminoles' leading tackler as a senior in 1996, racking up 105 tackles, including 22 for loss, in the undefeated regular season. The Lake City native came to Florida State as a linebacker but became a force at defensive end, combining rare strength with speed and a never-ending motor. He was an All-ACC first-team member in both 1995 and 1996, and was the No. 14 overall pick by the Cincinnati Bengals in the first round of the NFL Draft.
No. 2 seed Andre Wadsworth vs. No. 3 seed Corey Simon
Andre Wadsworth still remains the highest-drafted defensive player in Florida State history. The former walk-on worked his way into the defensive line rotation early in his career and then became one of the greatest to ever wear the garnet and gold. Wadsworth's 1997 season was one of the most dominant by any college player. The consensus All-American finished with 16 sacks and 19 tackles for loss in leading Florida State to an 11-1 record. The 16 sacks are the second most in a season in school history, only trailing former teammate Peter Boulware's 19 in the year before. Wadsworth ended up being the No. 3 overall pick of the Arizona Cardinals in the 1998 NFL Draft. He was the highest selection ever for Florida State until Jameis Winston was taken with the No. 1 pick in 2015.
Corey Simon didn't start a single game his first two years at Florida State. He sure made up for lost time in his final two years. The Pompano Beach native was a first-team AP All-American in 1998 and then became a consensus All-American in 1999, while leading the Seminoles to an undefeated season and national championship. Simon had 16 tackles for loss as a junior and then followed that up with a monster season in 1999, leading the team with 21 tackles for loss. He had 84 tackles total, which is an enormous number for a defensive tackle. Simon, who battled injuries his first two seasons, finished his FSU career with 44 career tackles for loss and 11 quarterback sacks. He was drafted with the No. 6 overall pick of the 2000 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles.
Winner of $25 eCard from Garnet & Gold - tankdmw
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About the tournament
We've broken down the field of 64 into four 16-team brackets:
* Offensive Playmakers
* Defensive Playmakers
* Linemen (offensive and defensive)
* Legends/Special Teams
The first three "regions" are pretty self-explanatory. The final one is a combination of eight Seminole "legends," which we've defined as players who graduated by 1985 (just before the Dynasty era really began), and eight special-teams players.
The special-teams players were broken down further into two four-team brackets -- kickers/punters and "specialists" (return men or players who specialized in blocking kicks).
* CLICK HERE for a printable bracket -- updated with Round 1 results
(Note: Players who already held a spot in one of the other categories were not eligible to also be selected as specialists. That is why Deion Sanders, Peter Warrick and Terrell Buckley are not listed there.)
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