Florida State Mount Rushmore: Who was voted as a top all-time defensive end?

So, who made the cut?

To help the off-season pass a bit faster, we’ve been determining the top four Florida State Seminoles in school history at each position, constructing and sculpting a positional Mount Rushmore for them as voted on by the Tomahawk Nation community.

On Monday, we posted a poll for the Tomahawk Nation community to choose your top four all-time Seminoles’ defensive ends, and yesterday, presented the choices from some of our staff and contributors.

Today — the results. The Tomahawk Nation community has spoken!

Without further ado, we present to you the Mount Rushmore of FSU defensive ends.

Who are the top four defensive ends in FSU history?

Peter Boulware (96.1%)

Peter Boulware went to high school at Spring Valley in Columbia, South Carolina where he participated in football and track. He was named a Blue Chip All-American in football, High School Player of the Year and participated in the Shrine Bowl. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution also named Peter one of the Top 50 athletes.

The 6-5, 255lb. defensive end came in as a redshirt in 1993 and got a taste of success on the national championship team. His freshman season, he had 37 tackles and five sacks. As a sophomore he led the ACC with 10 sacks despite starting only two of 11 games. His standout junior year included 19 quarterback sacks, and 68 tackles which led him to make the decision to declare eligibility in the NFL draft.

After being named a consensus All-American, National Defensive Player of the Year, All-ACC and smashing Ron Simmons 1977 record of 12 sacks in a season with an astonishing 19 sacks, Peter’s career as a Seminole would come to a happy end. He was selected with the 4th overall pick in the first round of the ‘97 draft by the Baltimore Ravens.

via nolefan.org

Andre Wadsworth (79.3%)

Andre Wadsworth moved to Miami from St. Croix when he was five years old. He played basketball and started football in the 8th grade. By his senior season, he was named MVP in both sports and honored as All-Dade County. He did not receive and Division I scholarship offers, so Coach Chuck Amato invited Wadsworth to walk on to the Seminole squad.

After a redshirt season, #85 went on to have four successful years wearing the garnet and gold and became on of the greatest pass rushers in FSU and college football history. As a senior in 1997, he was named a first-team All-American by five organizations and was an NCAA Consensus All-American. He was one of the four finalists for the Lombardi Award, ACC Player of the Year, ACC Defensive Player of the year and All-ACC first-team. He was the recipient of the $10,000 Burger King College Football Scholarship in 1997 and led the ACC with 16 sacks. He was also named the CBS SportsLine Defensive Player of the Year, Defensive Lineman of the Year from the Touchdown Club of Columbus, an Outland Trophy finalist and named one of the 30 Greatest ACC Players by College Football News.

Andre received his degree in business after his junior season and began his graduate work in Sports Administration while playing his last year at FSU. In the spring of 1998, the Arizona Cardinals selected Andre with the No. 3 pick, making him the highest FSU player to go in the NFL draft.

Wadsworth spent three seasons with Arizona and enjoyed a successful, but injury plagued career. He had four knee surgeries in just 15 months between November 1999 and January 2001. He totaled 119 tackles, 65 solo, and 8 quarterback sacks. He made three fumble recoveries and one interception in 36 appearances, 30 of which he started.

via nolefan.org

Reinard Wilson (60.2%)

No position in all of college football was more feared during the 1990s than that of defensive end at Florida State and Reinard Wilson was one of the stars who earned that respect. He combined a tireless work ethic that followed him from his rural upbringing in nearby Lake City, FL with the upper body strength of a down lineman and the quickness of a linebacker to become the prototype college end of the decade. He could overpower an offensive lineman or beat him with his speed.

Wilson led the ACC in quarterback sacks in 1994 and was selected All-ACC in 1995 and 1996. As a senior in 1996, Wilson earned First-Team All-American honors from four organizations and he joined teammate Peter Boulware to give FSU the rare feat of having both consensus All-American defensive ends coming from the same team. Wilson led the 1996 team with 105 total tackles and 13.5 quarterback sacks. Over his four-year career he accumulated a school record 35.5 sacks, playing on some of the finest defenses in college football history including the 1993 team that won the school’s first national championship.

In 1997, Wilson was one of four Seminoles selected in the first round of the NFL Draft when he was chosen 14th overall by the Cincinnati Bengals. He played seven years in the NFL for Cincinnati and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Reinard Wilson’s relentless effort and accomplishments make him one of the greatest defensive linemen in FSU history.

via nolefan.org

Derrick Alexander (46.5%)

Jacksonville, FL native Derrick Alexander signed with FSU in 1991 and played in 10 games as a redshirt freshman in 1992. His explosive pass rush became evident his sophomore year as he finished that 1993 season second on the team in total tackles with 100. He dominated the national championship game against Nebraska with 11 tackles and was named to four All-America teams.

As a junior in 1994, Alexander was one of the top players in the country and one of the preseason favorites for both the Lombardi and Outland Trophies. He was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year following the season and was named on seven All-America squads earning first-team on three of them.

Minnesota selected him in the first round of the NFL draft following his junior year and he played there for four seasons then one year with the Cleveland Browns.

via nolefan.org

The rest of the top ten:

• Jamal Reynolds (24.6%)
• DeMarcus Walker (19.4%)
• Willie Jones Sr. (18.3%)
• Brian Burns (16.5%)
• Bjoern Werner (15.4%)
• Jermaine Johnson (14%)

So there you have it, folks.

What do you think about these choices? Let us know in the comments and don’t forget to vote each week for your top four choices for each position group.

Previous results

Quarterbacks: Charlie Ward, Chris Weinke, Jameis Winston, Jordan Travis

Running Backs: Warrick Dunn, Dalvin Cook, Greg Allen, Amp Lee

Wide Receivers: Peter Warrick, Fred Biletnikoff, Rashad Greene, Ron Sellers

Tight Ends: Nick O’Leary, Pat Carter, Lonnie Johnson, Melvin Pearsall

Offensive Tackles: Walter Jones, Alex Barron, Pat Tomberlin, Cam Erving

Interior Offensive Linemen: Rodney Hudson, Jamie Dukes, Bryan Stork, Clay Shiver