Offensive Line voting wraps up today in our FSU football Bracket Challenge
The first two matchups in the Offensive Line portion of our Warchant Bracket Challenge were fierce competitions, and the same could hold true today.
No. 1 seed Walter Jones advanced in his battle with No. 8 seed Cam Erving, but it wasn't a rout by any stretch. Jones recorded 77.7 percent of the vote on the Tribal Council and 85.1 percent on Twitter.
In the other battle, No. 5 seed Clay Shiver pulled a mild upset in getting past No. 4 seed Bryan Stork with 69.7 percent of the vote on Warchant. Stork got the edge on Twitter, but more people voted on the Tribal Council (and subscribers' votes are weighed more heavily), so Shiver advanced.
Our next day of voting features four more all-time greats on the offensive line:
No. 2 seed Pat Tomberlin vs. No. 7 seed Tra Thomas
No. 3 seed Rodney Hudson vs. No. 6 seed Brett Williams
If you need more information and insight, we present bios on each player below:
Don't miss our great FSU sports coverage. Get your 30-day FREE trial
In addition to voting on our Tribal Council message board, you can also submit your vote on Warchant's Twitter account. The voting window is 24 hours, and each round offers an opportunity for Warchant subscribers and Twitter users 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. 2 seed Pat Tomberlin vs. No. 7 seed Tra Thomas
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.
Tra Thomas came to Florida State as a defensive lineman at the peak of Bobby Bowden's "Dynasty Era" in 1993, but he wouldn't go on to become the next great Seminole pass-rusher. Instead, he would move to offensive tackle and eventually emerge as a force on the other side of the ball. After waiting his turn behind a slew of talented offensive linemen, Thomas finally got his opportunity during the '96 season and blossomed into a star in 1997. Thomas was named first-team All-ACC as a senior and second-team All-American. He also was recognized as FSU's strongest player with a 550-pound bench press and an 1,180-pound leg press. Thomas was selected with the 11th pick in the 1998 NFL Draft, and he started for a decade for the Philadelphia Eagles.
No. 3 seed Rodney Hudson vs. No. 6 seed Brett Williams
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.
Brett Williams redshirted as a freshman in 1998 and then started each of the next four years at Florida State. The Kissimmee, Fla., native was named a Freshman All-American for his performance on the Seminoles' 1999 national championship team, and he won the Jacobs Trophy as the ACC's top blocker in 2001 and 2002. Williams was named a second-team All-American by some outlets as a sophomore and a first-team All-American as a senior. At 6-foot-6 and over 300 pounds, Williams was a dominant left tackle on the college level and went on to be a fourth-round pick of the Kansas City Chiefs before his pro career was cut short due to injuries.
Winner of $25 eCard from Garnet & Gold - BriSape23
Click here to make your votes on the Tribal Council. If you're not yet a member of Warchant.com, start your 30-day Free Trial today. (Votes also can be placed through the poll at our official account on Twitter, @Warchant.)
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
(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.)
----------------------------------------------------
Talk about this story with other Florida State football fans in the Tribal Council