Florida is one of the most talent-rich states in the country, but with so much competition from within its borders and outside them, the Florida State football program has ebbed and flowed through its history. The good times have often come when the Seminoles are landing five-star talent from Florida and the rest of the country.
Bobby Bowden brought elite talent to Tallahassee for years, but those efforts waned in his latter years. Jimbo Fisher, however, revitalized those efforts when he took over in 2010, and thanks in large part to many of those five-star recruits, quickly led the Noles back to the mountaintop.
Willie Taggart and Mike Norvell haven’t quite had the same level of success on the recruiting trail or on the field. While it’s not the only reason, you can draw a pretty clear correlation, not just between the number of five-stars in those years, but also between how well they lived up to that billing.
So, as both a walk down memory lane and a painful reminder of unfulfilled potential, we’ve ranked every Florida State five-star (by 247Sports Composite) since Fisher took over in 2010.
1. Jameis Winston, QB, 2012 No. 1 QB (Hueytown, AL)
A Heisman trophy and a national championship in your first year as a starter is about as good as a five-star quarterback could possibly do. He’s only fourth on the all-time Florida State passing list, but that’s because he was so quickly off to the NFL after going 26-1 between the 2013 and 2014 seasons.
2. Dalvin Cook, 2014, No. 2 RB (Miami, FL)
Dalvin Cook arrived in Tallahassee just after the Seminoles reached the mountaintop, and he could never quite lead them back. However, the Miami native did his part from 2014-16, becoming FSU’s all-time leading rusher in just three seasons. On top of rushing for 4,464 yards in his career, he had back-to-back 20-touchdown seasons in 2015 and 2016 before becoming a second-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings in the 2017 NFL Draft.
3. Jalen Ramsey, 2013, No. 2 CB (Brentwood, TN)
A true freshman starter played a major role in Florida State’s 2013 national championship run. By his junior year in 2015, he was a consensus All-American at corner and one of the defensive back prospects in the 2016 NFL Draft. At his most versatile in 2014, he moved all over the secondary, racking up 79 tackles, 10.0 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks, and two interceptions. In 2015, he was a lockdown outside corner, the role he ultimately filled early in his NFL career for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
4. Lamarcus Joyner, 2010, No. 2 ATH (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
In many ways, Jimbo Fisher’s turnaround began with signing Lamarcus Joyner in the 2010 class. By the 2013 national championship run, he was a clear leader on defense, finishing as a unanimous All-American and a finalist for the Jim Thorpe and Bronko Nagurski Awards. Undersized at 5-foot-8, 190 pounds, Joyner emerged as a big-time playmaker in the nickel, a sure-tackler with a nose for the football, and FSU’s first consensus All-American since 2000.
5. Derwin James, 2015, No. 1 S (Haines City, FL)
Derwin James’s time in Tallahassee was cut short by a knee injury that limited him to just two games in 2016, his true sophomore year. However, when he was on the field, he was one of the most dominant players in college football. His freshman season, though, playing alongside Ramsey and emerging as a starter, was his best, registering 91 tackles, 9.5 for loss, 4.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles.
6. Nick O’Leary, 2011, No. 1 TE (Palm Beach Gardens, FL)
Part of a 2011 recruiting class with two five-stars, Nick O’Leary emerged as a top target for Jameis Winston in 2013 and 2014. A consensus All-American and Mackey Award winner as the nation’s top tight end in 2014, O’Leary wasn’t just a security blanket for Winston, as he averaged nearly 17 yards per catch in 2013 and racked up 1,591 yards and 17 touchdowns across his four years in Tallahassee.
7. Cam Akers, 2017, No. 2 RB (Clinton, MS)
Cam Akers didn’t exactly live up to the standard Dalvin Cook set as a Florida State five-star running back during the Jimbo Fisher era. Still, he made a nice career for himself, finishing sixth on the FSU all-time rushing list with 2,874 yards and two 1,000-yard seasons. Akers' best year came as a junior in 2019, rushing for 1,144 yards and 14 touchdowns with four more and 225 yards through the air.
8. Timmy Jernigan, 2011, No. 2 DT (Lake City, FL)
Timmy Jernigan provided immediate depth for Florida State in 2011, being named a freshman All-American by the FWAA. By 2013, Jernigan established himself as a primary defensive tackle for the Seminoles and a disruptive interior penetrator with 11.0 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. After being named a second-team All-American in 2013, he decided to forgo his senior season and enter the NFL Draft, where he was selected No. 48 overall by the Baltimore Ravens.
9. Josh Sweat, 2015, No. 1 EDGE (Chesapeake, VA)
Josh Sweat’s talent was undeniable. That’s why he was the No. 1 edge rusher in the 2015 class and has had such a long NFL career. In Tallahassee, however, his production left a bit to be desired, with 14.5 sacks and 29.5 tackles for loss over his three years. Those are good numbers, just not the game-changing production Fisher expected or needed to help maintain FSU’s run as a national title contender.
10. Mario Edwards Jr., 2012, No. 1 EDGE (Denton, TX)
Edwards’ Florida State career began in earnest in the 2012 ACC Championship Game win over Georgia Tech, starting in place of the injured Tank Carradine. From that point on, he was a solid contributor along the defensive line with 23.0 tackles for loss and 8.0 sacks across three years.
- 11. Eddie Goldman, 2012, No. 3 DT (Washington, DC)
- 12. Tarvarus McFadden, 2015, No. 3 CB (Plantation, FL)
- 13. Matthew Thomas, 2013, No. 2 OLB (Miami, FL)
- 14. Ronald Darby, 2012, No. 2 CB (Oxon Hill, MD)
- 15. Karlos Williams, 2011, No. 1 S (Davenport, FL)
- 16. Marvin Wilson, 2017, No. 1 DT (Bellaire, TX)
- 17. James Wilder, 2011, No. 1 OLB (Tampa, FL)
- 18. Levonta Taylor, 2016, No. 1 CB (Virginia Beach, VA)
- 19. Ermon Lane, 2014, No. 3 WR (Homestead, FL)
- 20. Chris Casher, 2012, No. 3 OLB (Mobile, AL)
- 21. Joshua Kaindoh, 2017, No. 3 EDGE (Bradenton, FL)
- 22. George Campbell, 2015, No. 3 WR (Tarpon Springs, FL)
- 23. Hykeem Williams, 2023, No. 4 WR (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
- 24. Khalan Laborn, 2017, No. 1 APB (Virginia Beach, VA)
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