Top FSU Football Players All Time From Across the United States

FSU football has been able to get some of the top recruits from across the United State over time – here are some of the best to play for the Seminoles.

While FSU football is a household name in both the Sunshine State and across the southeast, the Seminoles have become just as popular across the country over the past few decades – in part due to the team playing games across the country over that span as well as winning championships and fans who want to be associated with the team.

That fame the Noles have gained across the nation as enabled them to recruit some of the top players in places that a school from Tallahassee, Florida should not be able to. From California to New York and Maryland to Colorado, the roster for the Seminoles has been like reading a map and covered with players who can’t drive home for winter or summer breaks.

But just which of those players were the best of the best? Here is a look at who we think are the top five players in FSU football history from across the United States.

No. 5 – P Rohn Stark (Fifty Lakes, MN Pine River)

After deciding that he did not want to spend his college career at the Air Force Academy, Stark arrived in Tallahassee and quickly become one of the best punters in FSU history – and one of the tops in the nation. A career average of nearly 43 yards a kick, the left changed the field every time toe touched pigskin, earning first team All-American honors both his junior and senior years before embarking on a NFL career that last over a decade and a half.

No. 4 – DT Darnell Dockett (Burtonsville, MD Paint Branch)

A top 20 recruit nationally, Dockett redshirt his first season after arriving on campus and then was quickly thrown into the fire having to replace two interior linemen from the 1999 national championship team. He quickly became the target of double teams from offensive lines in the ACC, finishing his time in Tallahassee with 247 tackles – including a school record 65 for loss – to go along with 10.5 sacks.

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No. 3 – CB Clifton Abraham (Dallas, TX Carter)

Standing at just 5’9” during his playing time with the Seminoles, Abraham played well above his height and was constantly winning battles against taller receivers across the ACC and around the state of Florida. An honorable mention All-American during the team’s national title winning season of 1993, Abraham was a consensus All-American as a senior the following year – finishing his career with eight interceptions and three blocked kicks on special teams.

No. 2 – WR Fred Biletnikoff (Erie, PA Technical Memorial)

There was a time under former head coach Bill Peterson where the FSU football lineup was full of players from the Midwest and Northeast. One of those was the son of Russian immigrants who found his spot in Peterson’s pass happy offense (by standards of the time). Leading the team in both catches and interceptions one season, he focused on offense at the end and went for a national best 1,179 yards receiving and 15 touchdowns in 1964, become a consensus All-American.

No. 1 – QB Chris Weinke (St. Paul, MN Cretin-Derham Hall)

Sometimes, things don’t always play out as planned – like when Weinke left the FSU football program after four days on campus to embark on a six-year career in minor league baseball. Once back on campus, he was thrust into the starter’s role following an injury and spent the next three seasons (expect for the final three games in 1998) as the man under center. Weinke would lead a talented bunch to the 1999 national title while winning the Heisman, Unitas and Davey O’Brien Awards in 2000 and lead the program to their third straight title game appearance.

Honorable Mention: DE Alphonso Carreker (Columbus, OH Franklin), DT Travis Johnson (Sherman Oaks, CA Notre Dame), OT Ken Lanier (Columbus, OH Franklin), QB Christian Ponder (Colleyville, TX Heritage), LB Kamerion Wimberley (Wichita, KS Northwest)