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Over the next few days, Warchant.com will continue to unveil our list of the Five Greatest Recruiting Classes in Florida State football history.

* First installment: Discussing the grading criteria, which classes just missed the cut

* Second Installment: Class No. 5 -- 1989: T-Buck, Charlie & Company

* Third installment: Class No. 4 -- 2011: The making of a champion

* Fourth installment: Class No. 3 -- 1997: Weinke, Janikowski and a lot more

* Today: Class No. 2 -- 1990: The foundation for the first national title

* Coming Monday: Class No. 1 -- ???

You have to start with Marvin.

Before we get into all of the contributors on the 1993 national championship team, before we get into how deep the Florida State recruiting class of 1990 really was, before we get into anything else, the story about this group absolutely has to start with Marvin Jones.

Because Marvin Jones, simply put, was the best linebacker in school history. And with the exception of maybe Deion Sanders, he was the best defensive player to ever wear the garnet and gold.

That might seem hyperbolic, considering the amount of incredible talent that has rolled through the Florida State program in the last four decades. But ask anybody who watched him. Ask anybody who played with him. Or, even more accurately, anyone who played against him.

In 1992, Jones was one of the favorites to win the Butkus Award, given annually to the nation's top linebacker. One of his primary competitors was Miami's Jesse Armstead. So the FSU sports information staff came up with a brilliant brochure to send out to the media and various award voters that season.

It was a picture of Marvin Jones absolutely destroying Miami running back Larry Jones on a screen pass over the middle. And the accompanying text was a quote from the Hurricanes' head coach :

"Marvin Jones is the best linebacker I've ever seen playing college football." --- Dennis Erickson, University of Miami head coach

Safe to say, Armstead did not win the award. Marvin took home the Butkus and also won the Lombardi. And he finished fourth that year in the Heisman Trophy voting. That's how dominant No. 55 was at Florida State.

Injuries dampened his career in the NFL, but Jones will forever be remembered as one of the very best college linebackers to ever live. Just ask Dennis Erickson.