FSU Football: Top Five Players to Wear No. 18

The jersey No. 18 at Florida State has traditionally been a productive one in all facets of the game.

Incoming freshman wide receiver Warren Thompson hopes to add his name to an illustrious list of productive Seminoles to don the number. Thompson said the other day that it would be his number for the upcoming year.

Narrowing it down to five this time around wasn’t easy, but that’s what we did as we count down the top five FSU players to wear the jersey. Players will be considered for just the time they wore the number. For example, Greg Carr, a wide receiver, wore the number just one season in 2008 after wearing No. 89 the previous three. His first three seasons would not be up for consideration.

Without further ado, here are the top five Florida State players to don No. 18:

5. Auden Tate (2015-17)
Wide Receiver
Stats: 65 receptions, 957 yards, 16 touchdown catches
Auden Tate narrowly edged out the likes of Kent Gaydos and Sean Key for the final spot on the list. A 6-foot-5 big body from South Carolina, Tate caught touchdowns on nearly every fourth reception. Despite seeing the field for really only two seasons, Tate’s 16 career touchdowns ranks in the top 20 all-time at FSU. Last season, Tate became just the 16th Seminole to catch at least 10 touchdown passes in a season.

4. John Davis (1989-92)
Safety
Stats: 135 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 4 interceptions
A native of Pahokee, John Davis started 23 games for the Seminoles and appeared in 38 over his four years in Tallahassee. Davis was regarded as a hard hitter deep in the secondary, but wasn’t a liability in coverage. Davis recorded four interceptions throughout the course of his career at FSU and five if you include the game-sealing interception in a 24-17 win over Penn State in the 1990 Blockbuster Bowl.

3. Sean Hamlet (1993-96)
Safety
Stats: 180 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 3 fumble recoveries, 3 interceptions
A hard-hitting safety from Virginia, Sean Hamlet was a 4-year contributor for the Seminoles. Hamlet appeared in 42 career games and made 34 career starts over his five years in Tallahassee. Hamlet’s best season came arguably as a redshirt sophomore in 1994 when he recorded a career-high 70 tackles and two interceptions. Hamlet was among seven Seminoles to record at least 70 tackles that season. Hamlet recorded a career-high 10 tackles in the 1994 contest between FSU and Florida later known as “The Choke at Doak”.

2. Derek Schmidt (1984-87)
Kicker
Stats: 73-for-101 field goals, long of 54 yards, 174-for-178 PATs
Florida State has quietly put together a solid tradition of having outstanding kickers over the last 20 years after being marred by wide rights, but long before any of that, Derek Schmidt was one of the nation’s best. Schmidt left FSU as the greatest kicker in program history and earned honorable mention All-American honors from the Associated Press in each of his first three seasons before a third-team selection as a senior in 1987. Schmidt’s leg strength was never in question as he finished 30-for-49 in his career from 40 yards and beyond, including 7-for-13 from at least 50 yards. His 54-yard field goal in a 1984 victory over Miami was an FSU record that would last 13 years. Schmidt was inducted into the FSU Hall of Fame in 1997.

1. Dustin Hopkins (2009-12)
Kicker
Stats: 88-for-112 field goals, long of 56 yards, 202-for-207 PATs
Known for his golden shoes, Houston native Dustin Hopkins would rewrite the FSU record books as a kicker over his four years. Hopkins would leave Florida State with an FBS record 88 made field goals and was named an All-American as a senior in 2012, helping the Seminoles to their first ACC title in seven years. The FSU all-time leader in scoring, Hopkins scored 466 career points, which currently ranks seventh all-time in college football history. Hopkins was 9-for-15 in his career from 50 yards and beyond, which included the game-winning 55-yard field goal in a 16-13 win over Clemson in 2010.

Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson