One half of the Sweet 16 of our Warchant Bracket Challenge is complete, with eight players moving on from the offensive and defensive playmakers brackets. On offense, that group includes Charlie Ward, Jameis Winston, Dalvin Cook and Warrick Dunn. On defense, it's Deion Sanders, Marvin Jones, Derrick Brooks and Terrell Buckley.
Jones advanced late last week with nearly 89 percent of the vote in his second-round battle, and Brooks dominated with more than 98 percent of the votes in his contest.
The action continues today with two matchups in the Offensive Line regional.
No. 1 seed Walter Jones vs. No. 5 seed Clay Shiver
No. 2 seed Pat Tomberlin vs. No. 3 seed Rodney Hudson
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 Walter Jones vs. No. 5 seed Clay Shiver
Walter Jones is considered one of the best offensive tackles in the history of football. The Alabama native played just one season at Florida State, but it was a memorable one. Jones, who played at Holmes Community College for two seasons before transferring to Florida State, started all 12 games for the Seminoels in 1996. He helped lead FSU to an undefeated regular season and then was selected with the sixth pick in the first round of the 1997 NFL Draft. He went on to a career that saw him make the Pro Bowl nine times, and he was a first-team All-Pro four times. He also was a member of the NFL all-decade team for the 2000s and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2014 in his first year of eligibility.
Clay Shiver was one of the most decorated offensive linemen in Florida State history. The younger brother of former FSU safety Stan Shiver, the Tifton, Ga., native was the starting center for the 1993 national championship team as a sophomore. He allowed just 1/2 sack in over 700 snaps (most out of the shotgun) for the Seminoles that year. He finished his career as a three-time All-ACC first-team selection. He also won the Jacobs Blocking Award in both 1994 and 1995. And in 1995, he was a consensus All-American. In his 41 career starts, the Seminoles lost just four games. He was drafted with the 67th overall pick by the Dallas Cowboys in 1996.
No. 2 seed Pat Tomberlin vs. No. 3 seed Rodney Hudson
Pat Tomberlin was one of the most versatile and productive offensive linemen in Florida State history, starting for more than three years and proving effective at either guard or tackle. He was forced into early starting duty at guard during his freshman season in 1985 and later found his home at offensive tackle. Tomberlin earned postseason honors following each of his three full seasons as a starter, proving to be one of the most consistent blockers in college football, but it was during his senior season that he really became a household name. He earned first-team All-America honors from one outlet and second-team recognition from another before becoming a fourth-round pick in the NFL Draft.
Rodney Hudson was fairly unheralded when he arrived at Florida State as a three-star prospect in 2007, but he impressed coaches and teammates from day one with his work ethic, toughness and attention to detail, and he took over a starting job early in his freshman year. Hudson went on to anchor FSU's offensive line for the entirety of his college career and earned first-team All-ACC honors following his sophomore, junior and senior years. The Alabama product was a unanimous first-team All-American as a senior and received the Jacobs Blocking Trophy as the top lineman in the ACC. He went on to be drafted in the second round of the NFL Draft and has earned multiple trips to the Pro Bowl.
Winner of $25 eCard from Garnet & Gold - jaycolle
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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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