The NFL’s annual Top 100 list is underway, and two former Florida State standouts are already in the mix.
Jalen Ramsey and Josh Sweat were both included among the first 40 names revealed in the player-voted rankings, with Ramsey coming in at No. 82 and Sweat at No. 78. The countdown is still rolling through September, so more former Seminoles could still surface before the list is complete.
Both players are heading into their second seasons with new teams after moving last offseason. Ramsey joined the Pittsburgh Steelers, while Sweat signed with the Arizona Cardinals.
Sweat’s first year in Arizona was a busy one. He played in all 17 games and finished with 30 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, a career-high 12 sacks and 17 quarterback hits. That performance pushed him up 17 spots from last year’s ranking.
"Sweat's stock continues to rise among his NFL brethren as he's now made the Top 100 for two straight years, rising 17 spots in the process," NFL.com's Grant Gordon wrote. "While Arizona struggled to a three-win season, Sweat largely flourished in his first campaign with the Cards. His sacks were a career best in his eighth season and so, too, were his four forced fumbles."
Ramsey was just as steady in his first season with Pittsburgh, appearing in 17 games and posting 88 tackles, four tackles for loss, three sacks, eight pass breakups and one interception. His move from cornerback to safety, prompted by injuries in the Steelers’ secondary, became a major part of his season.
"Ramsey was revitalized in his first season with Pittsburgh through a midseason role change," NFL.com's Bobby Kownack wrote. "With the Steelers’ secondary decimated by injuries, Ramsey moved primarily to safety during the second half of the campaign to tremendous success. He tied his career high in tackles and doubled his career sack total"
There are still 60 spots left to be revealed as the NFL counts down to No. 1.
The league is releasing two players every weekday at 10 and 11 a.m. ET through Aug. 21, then unveiling the top 10 one at a time each weekday from Aug. 24 through Sept.
- That leaves the door open for more former Florida State players to join Ramsey and Sweat on the list.
In Other News...
Jimbo Fisher Just Became A Florida State Debate Again
Jimbo Fisher is back in the conversation around Florida State, and not just because of the old championship memories that still hang over Tallahassee. Fisher, who won a national title with the Seminoles and built a long run of success before leaving for Texas A&M, has made it clear he wants to coach again after collecting a massive buyout from the Aggies. For a fan base that still remembers the peak of his tenure, the reminder lands with extra weight.
Mike Norvells uneven stretch has only sharpened the debate. Florida State has struggled to find steady footing under its current coach, and the frustration around the program has made any discussion of a change feel more serious than idle chatter. Fishers name carries obvious history, but the bigger question now is whether the Seminoles are simply revisiting the past or staring at a real opening for a new round of speculation. [Read more 🡒]
10 In-State Recruiting Misses FSU Fans Still Hate Remembering
Florida has long been one of the countrys richest football recruiting grounds, and the states big three have spent years trying to keep the best talent home. Florida State, Miami and Florida all have their share of wins on the trail, but the misses tend to linger longer, especially when those players go on to star elsewhere and become reminders of what might have been. The latest look back through those decisions is a sharp one for Seminole fans, because it traces how national programs kept prying elite prospects out of the state and away from Tallahassee.
The list of regrets is loaded with names that still sting in hindsight, from C.J. Spiller and T.J. Yeldon to Amari Cooper, Joey Bosa and Patrick Peterson. It also captures how recruiting battles in Florida often turned into national races, with rivals and outsiders alike cashing in when the in-state powers came up short. For FSU, the frustration is not just that these players left, but that so many of them became exactly the kind of difference-makers the Seminoles were trying to build around. [Read more 🡒]
