After another incredibly close vote in the linemen bracket, we are one step closer to completing the first round of our Warchant Bracket Challenge, determining the fans' choice for the top football player in Florida State history.
While No. 1 seed Peter Boulware cruised to an easy victory against No. 8 seed Travis Johnson with 98 percent of the vote, the competition was much stiffer in the other matchup. After 24 hours of back-and-forth voting, No. 4 seed Reinard Wilson defeated No. 5 seed Timmy Jernigan with 51.2 percent of the vote -- a difference of 14 total votes in a pool of nearly 600.
Our next day of voting features four more all-time greats on the defensive line, and these will be the final two matchups of the first round:
No. 2 seed Andre Wadsworth vs. No. 7 seed Odell Haggins
No. 3 seed Corey Simon vs. No. 6 seed Darnell Dockett
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 Andre Wadsworth vs. No. 7 seed Odell Haggins
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.
Odell Haggins is one of the most beloved Seminoles in history. Part of that is because he's been a member of the coaching staff now for over two decades and has served as interim head coach twice. But another part -- a big part, actually -- is that he was one of the anchors of the dynasty-starting defenses in the 1980s. As a noseguard in 1989, he finished with a staggering 100 tackles on his way to multiple All-American honors. The former high school linebacker finished his college career with 278 tackles, 28.5 tackles for loss and 16.5 quarterback sacks. He burst onto the scene as a redshirt sophomore in 1987, tallying a team-high eight quarterback sacks for the 11-1 team that started the dynasty. He was a three-year starter who played 48 career games.
No. 3 seed Corey Simon vs. No. 6 seed Darnell Dockett
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.
Darnell Dockett finished his career as one of the all-time leaders in career tackles for loss with 65. After redshirting in 1999, Dockett became an immediate force in 2000, registering 66 tackles, 19 for loss and seven sacks for the Seminoles. The Maryland native was a first-team Freshman All-American by the Sporting News and then just continued to dominate from the interior for the rest of his career. He had 22 tackles for loss as a sophomore and then added 17 more as a senior on his way to being named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year and earning numerous All-American honors. Considered a bit undersized, Dockett was a third-round pick of the Arizona Cardinals in the 2004 draft. He played 11 seasons in the NFL, earning Pro Bowl honors three times.
Winner of $25 eCard from Garnet & Gold - wbontrag
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
