Florida State’s modern recruiting story has a clear dividing line: the Jimbo Fisher years, when five-star talent piled up and turned into real production, and the stretches that followed, when the Seminoles didn’t get nearly the same return. That’s the backdrop for any ranking of FSU’s five-stars since Fisher arrived in 2010 - part celebration, part reminder of how much talent never fully became what it was supposed to be.
At the top of the list sits Jameis Winston, and it’s hard to argue with anything else. A Heisman Trophy and a national championship in his first season as a starter is about as clean a definition of meeting the hype as a quarterback can deliver.
Winston finished fourth on Florida State’s all-time passing list, but that number only tells part of the story. He was gone to the NFL quickly after going 26-1 across the 2013 and 2014 seasons.
Dalvin Cook comes next, and even though he arrived after the Seminoles had already reached the summit, he still carved out a massive place in school history. The Miami native became Florida State’s all-time leading rusher in just three seasons, piling up 4,464 career rushing yards and 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.
Jalen Ramsey’s FSU career was defined by versatility and high-end impact. As a true freshman, he was already a key piece of the 2013 national title run.
By 2015, he was a consensus All-American at corner and one of the top defensive back prospects in the 2016 NFL Draft. His 2014 season showed the full range of his game, with 79 tackles, 10.0 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks, and two interceptions while moving all over the secondary.
Lamarcus Joyner deserves his place near the top as one of the foundational pieces of Jimbo Fisher’s turnaround. Signed in the 2010 class, Joyner became a defensive leader by the 2013 title run, finishing as a unanimous All-American and a finalist for the Jim Thorpe and Bronko Nagurski Awards. At 5-foot-8 and 190 pounds, he made his name as a nickel defender who tackled well, found the football, and became Florida State’s first consensus All-American since 2000.
Derwin James was limited by a knee injury that cut his 2016 season down to just two games, but when he was healthy, he was one of the most dominant players in college football. His freshman season was his best, as he played alongside Ramsey and emerged as a starter with 91 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles.
Nick O’Leary, part of the 2011 class that included two five-stars, became a major target for Winston in 2013 and 2014. He earned consensus All-American honors and the Mackey Award in 2014 as the nation’s top tight end. Over four seasons in Tallahassee, he totaled 1,591 yards and 17 touchdowns, and he averaged nearly 17 yards per catch in 2013.
Cam Akers didn’t quite reach Dalvin Cook’s level, but he still put together a strong Florida State career. He finished sixth on the school’s all-time rushing list with 2,874 yards and posted two 1,000-yard seasons. His best year came in 2019, when he ran for 1,144 yards and 14 touchdowns while adding four more scores and 225 receiving yards.
Timmy Jernigan made an immediate impression in 2011 as a freshman All-American, then became a disruptive force by 2013 with 11.0 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. He was named a second-team All-American that season and left early for the NFL Draft, where the Baltimore Ravens took him No. 48 overall.
Josh Sweat had the kind of talent that made him the No. 1 edge rusher in the 2015 class, and that ability has carried him into a long NFL career. At Florida State, though, his production was solid rather than overwhelming, with 14.5 sacks and 29.5 tackles for loss over three seasons.
Mario Edwards Jr. started making his mark in the 2012 ACC Championship Game against Georgia Tech, stepping in for the injured Tank Carradine. From there, he became a steady presence on the defensive line and finished with 23.0 tackles for loss and 8.0 sacks in three years.
The rest of the list is a reminder that five-star status does not guarantee a star-level finish. Eddie Goldman, Tarvarus McFadden, Matthew Thomas, Ronald Darby, Karlos Williams, Marvin Wilson, James Wilder, Levonta Taylor, Ermon Lane, Chris Casher, Joshua Kaindoh, George Campbell, Hykeem Williams, and Khalan Laborn all made the ranking, but not all of them matched the expectations that came with their recruiting labels.
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Florida State Finally Honors One Of The Most Beloved Voices Ever
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Deckerhoff retired from Florida State broadcasts after the 2022 spring game, but he is not done behind a microphone just yet. He will continue calling Tampa Bay Buccaneers games in what he says will be his final season there, while FSU makes room for his name in the stadium where so many of his calls lived. [Read more 🡒]