Top 10 Greatest Defensive Players in Seminoles History

You know what the first thing I think of when I hear the word "Seminoles" is? I think of defense. I think of legendary linebackers, dominating defensive linemen, unbelievable cornerbacks. 

While FSU may be known for some of its outstanding offenses, people forget about how good their defenses have been throughout the years. Two National Championships, 15 ACC Conference Championships and 34 Consensus All-Americans don't just come from QBs and RBs.

A lot of great recruits these days are picking FSU as the place to pursue their football futures, and for good reason. Perhaps one day, they too will have their name put on this article.

Here are the 10 greatest defensive Seminoles of all-time.

Honorable Mentions: Antonio Cromartie, Lee Corso

Creating this list was a pretty hard thing to do, considering there have been so many great players to play for the 'Noles. I ultimately had to decide on who really stood out in the record books, not just specific seasons. These are the guys that may have been really good, but didn't quite make it into the top 10.

Cromartie was a great cornerback for FSU when he played, especially considering that he was ranked the No. 2 cornerback in the nation. He got a nod from the conference after being named an All-ACC player in 2004. He would go on to have a more legendary career with the Vikings in the NFL with a ridiculous 109-yard field goal return.

While most know him as the hilarious and intelligent anchor on ESPN "College GameDay," Corso was balling it up at FSU years before. He led the team in interceptions for a long time until Sanders tied him. He was more well known as an offensive star.

10. Jamal Reynolds

Stats: 170 CT, 23.5 Sck, 33 TFL, 4 FF, 3 FR, 1 TD, 3 Safeties

Reynolds is the first one presented on our list, just barely slipping into the final rankings.

During his tenure at FSU, Reynolds was a force to be reckoned with at the defensive end/middle linebacker positions, where he gathered an amazing amount of sacks, as evidenced by the stat line above. His 23.5 sacks ranks fourth all-time in FSU history.

Adding to his stats are his awards, which include an All-American pick and the Lombardi Award, becoming one of very few Seminoles to ever win the award.

A huge reason I put him onto this list was his amazing performance in the 2000 national championship game, where he tallied up five solo tackles and a great three sacks against the hyped Michael Vick. 

9. Peter Boulware

Stats: 151 CT,  28 TFL, 34 Sck, 7 FF, 3 FR

Yet another defensive end that racked up some ridiculous numbers—specifically in the sack category.

Boulware is that more well known of the two brothers (the other is pretty good too) because of expectations that he surpassed. Boulware wasn't supposed to be that good of a player. All of the sudden, in his junior year, he exploded onto the national scene.

He set the record for sacks in a season with an astounding 19 and finished his career with 34, less than two away from the FSU record. This earned him a myriad of awards, which included consensus All-American, ACC Defensive Player of the Year and National Defensive Player of the Year.

Boulware left after three years at FSU to enter the 1997 NFL draft, where he would find a successful career with the Ravens. 

8. Dexter Jackson

Stats: 194 CT, 7 INT, 16 PD, 4 BK

Perhaps it is the Buccaneers fan inside me speaking, but I really do feel that Dexter Jackson is one of the greatest Seminoles of all-time. This pick may come as a shock to some, but after looking at his accomplishments, I think you will see that he deserves to be here.

Jackson was always a dominant corner from the day he stepped onto the field, but during his junior season is when he really got noticed, being named an All-ACC player. 

Here is where the good stuff is: Jackson played in four BCS bowls during his career at FSU (Fiesta, Orange and Sugar twice), winning two of them.

After his stellar college career, he would go to the Buccaneers, where his love for rings would not stop as he obtained a Super Bowl MVP in 2003. 

7. Paul McGowan

Stats: 456 CT, 32 TFL,  3 Sck, 3 Int, 1 TD, 6 FF, 6 FR

McGowan seems to be forgotten by a lot of FSU fans, which is a real shame. This guy was the quintessential linebacker who was all over the field.

While he was never the flashiest or most recognizable player, McGowan was an absolute monster on the field. In his senior year alone, he had an amazing 150 tackles and two sacks. His career total of 456 tackles is outstanding.

In addition to his stats, he set a precedent of award winning at FSU, becoming the first Seminole to win a national award (Butkus). He was also named an AP All-American in 1987.

He was inducted into the FSU Hall of Fame in 1994.

6. Marvin Jones

Stats: 369 CT, 27 TFL,  5.5 Scks, 3 Int, 1 FF

Some might cry foul at Jones being placed lower than expected, but don't think that he wasn't great. It's just that there are better guys in front of him.

Considered to be one of the best linebackers to ever play for FSU, Jones rewrote the record book during his stint. He was a consensus All-American two times and was made a starter his freshman year, which enabled him to get 133 tackles.

Jones was also the first Seminole to win both the Butkus and Lombardi trophies, both in his junior season. To top that all off, he finished fourth in Heisman voting in '91.

After three years at FSU, Jones would leave for the NFL, where he would become known as "Shade Tree" for his overpowering play. Seems fitting if you ask me.

5. Corey Simon

Stats: 193 CT, 44 TFL, 11 Sck, 1 Int, 3 FF, 3 FR

Throughout the history of FSU defenses, there have not been many outstanding defensive tackles. It all seems to either be linebacker or cornerbacks. Corey Simon broke this mold.

During the 1999 season, Simon was the leader of the defense that was consistently playing on a top-tier level. As a senior in 1999, Simon was named a consensus All-American, first team ACC and was a finalist for the Outland and Lombardi trophies.

His 44 tackles for loss are tied for the school record with Ron Simmons (who will appear later on this list) and led the team in solo tackles with 48. It was hard to escape this guy, who seemed to be all over the backfield.

Simmons would finally win a BCS National Championship in 1999 and would get selected in the first round of the draft. He would go on to have a pretty good NFL career.

4. Terrell Buckley

Stats: 103 CT, 3 TFL,15 PBU, 2 FF, 1 FR, 21 Int, 4 TD

There were questions as to how the Seminoles would replace Deion Sanders after he left for the NFL. Buckley answered.

Buckley was an absolute ball-hawk. To this day, he still holds the FSU records for most interceptions in a game, season (12) and career (21). He just knew where the ball was and gravitated to it. Those stats are even more amazing when you consider that he only spent three years at FSU.

His strong performance in 1991 earned him a consensus All-American position and the Jim Thorpe award. Afterward, he would be drafted by the Packers, and after bouncing around a few teams, would win a Super Bowl with the Patriots.

Talk about high expectations.

3. Derrick Brooks

Stats: 274 CT, 8.5 Sck, 18 TFL, 5 Int, 4 FF, 2 FR, 3 TD

Here we are in the top three, and the first inductee is Derrick Brooks.

Once again, maybe it was his career with the Buccaneers that helped me put him here, but absolutely nobody can deny the impact he had on not just FSU linebackers, but the position itself. Not to mention, he was a pretty smart guy to begin with.

While he got a lot of attention his first two years, it wasn't until he was a junior and senior seasons that he got the attention he deserved. Let me see if I can fit his awards into this slide: consensus All-American twice, National Defensive Player of the Year twice, ACC Defensive Player of the Year, Academic All-American and First Team ACC three times. 

Add on to that a national championship, and you have one legendary guy. Perhaps it was his blend of power and speed that made him so good. He covered receivers like a cornerback, yet could rush and tackle like the toughest of linebackers.

He would be drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and be an instrumental part in our road to a Super Bowl victory. Truly a legend.

2. Ron Simmons

Stats: 483 CT, 25 Sck, 44 TFL,19 FF, 8 FR, 4 BK

Absolute domination. Those are the words that best describe Ron Simmons. In fact, almost none of the guys on this list would be here had Simmons not started the tradition of great FSU defense.

You see, Simmons was the first really great defender to play for FSU. He held most of the records at FSU defensively and still does hold the record for career and season tackles for loss. In addition to being one of the greatest defenders at FSU, he was also one of the greatest defenders in all of college football.

Simmons lead FSU to back-to-back Orange Bowl trips in his junior and senior year, when he was also named a consensus All-American both seasons. He was also the first defensive player admitted into the FSU Hall of Fame. Have no doubt, this was the guy that started the tradition.

Later on, Simmons would become the now popular "Faarooq" in the WWE realm, where he dominated wrestlers instead of offensive linemen and quarterbacks. Either way, the guy has always been the most dominating guy on the field (or rink if you like his other sports persona).

1. Deion Sanders

Stats: 186 CT, 2 TFL, 14 Int, 4 TD, 27 PBU, 4 FF, 1 FR

No surprise here. No upset pick. The one, the only NEOOOOOOOOON DEIOOOOOOOOOOOON.

Okay, skipping the flashy introduction (he always did love those), Sanders was undoubtedly the best cornerback of all time. Not just in FSU or the NFL, but of all of football. The guy could flat out play. He used to hold a lot of defensive records before some were broken over the years.

But you know why they were able to be broken? Because quarterbacks did not throw to his side of the field. They were literally afraid to throw to a receiver that was being guarded by Sanders. It is actually amazing that he was able to gather the ridiculous stats he did.

There are honestly too many awards to name, so I will just focus on the two big ones. Two-time consensus All-American and the Jim Thorpe winner. Those two awards hold so much behind them. There was a reason he was called "Prime Time."

After his stellar FSU career, he went on to take the NFL by storm, where he would become a two-time Super Bowl champion, a Defensive Player of the Year in 1994 and eight-time Pro Bowler. He is now inducted into both the NFL and college football Hall of Fame.

Sanders truly was the greatest defensive player to ever wear the Garnet and Gold.