The top 100 FSU football players: No. 87— defensive end Everette Brown

Some refer to Florida State football’s 2000s as “the lost decade.” Whether you agree with that characterization or not, one thing is certain: there was nothing lost about the performance of Seminole DE Everette Brown between the sidelines.

Brown wrote his ticket to FSU by way of Stantonsburg, North Carolina, and after redshirting during his first season on campus in 2005, he began etching his name into the ’Nole record books— and it’s still ascribed quite highly therein.

Brown made an immediate impact in Tallahassee during his redshirt-freshman season of 2006. He was a second-team Freshman All-American for both College Football News and Scripps Howard. But 2008 was when Brown really authored a season for the ages.

That year, Brown recorded 13.5 sacks, tied for the fourth most in a single Florida State campaign. He also compiled 21.5 tackles for loss that season, which remains tied for the third most in a year at FSU.

The accolades followed accordingly. Brown was a 2008 second-team All-American for the AP, Walter Camp, The Sporting News, Scout.com, Phil Steele, and Rivals.com. CNNSI.com made him a third-teamer, and College & Pro Football Weekly gave him an honorable mention. Brown was also a first-team All-ACC choice.

Only one Seminole, ever, has wreaked as much havoc as Brown in opposing backfields: his 46.5 tackles for loss remain second only to Darnell Dockett’s staggering 65. And Brown’s 23 sacks are still tied for eighth in FSU history.

Brown was the only ’Nole to come off the board in the 2009 NFL Draft, as Carolina grabbed him in the second round. He’s now an assistant coach with the Panthers.