FSU Football: Top Five Players to Wear No. 24

Jersey numbers for newcomers were doled out in the Florida State media guide, which was released earlier this week. No one got a number in the single-digits, but that doesn’t mean the newcomers got numbers that lacked reverence.

Anthony Grant, a running back and National Signing Day commitment, was given No. 24. He’ll share that number with sophomore safety Cyrus Fagan. Here’s a look at the five best ever to wear it for the Seminoles:

5. Terrance Smith (2011-15)
Linebacker
Stats: 221 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 4 sacks, 3 forced fumble, 3 interceptions, 1 touchdown
A second-team All-ACC performer in 2014, Terrance Smith didn’t have a legendary career at Florida State, but he had a very solid one. Smith made 28 starts over his final three years with the program and combined for more than 150 total tackles in his last two seasons. Smith was responsible for six forced turnovers throughout his career, but none were bigger than his interception in the 2014 contest against Florida. With the rival Gators leading 9-0 and threatening to score, Smith caught a pick off a deflection and proceeded to race 94 yards the other way for his first and only career touchdown to help swing momentum in an eventual 24-19 victory.

4. Harvey Clayton (1979-82)
Cornerback
Stats: 104 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 2 forced fumbles, 9 interceptions
An undersized cornerback at just 5-foot-9 and 170 pounds, Harvey Clayton had a tenacity to him that helped turn FSU into a winner under a young head coach named Bobby Bowden. Clayton started every game over his final two seasons as a Seminole and collected nine interceptions during that span. As a senior in 1982, Clayton was named an honorable mention All-American by the Associated Press. Clayton’s five interceptions in 1981 led the team.

3. Rock Preston (1993-96)
Running Back
Stats: 1,412 yards rushing, 7.9 yards per carry, 17 rushing touchdowns, 365 yards receiving
Largely because he played behind Warrick Dunn, many will forget how good Rock Preston was out of the FSU backfield. A 185-pound South Florida native, Preston was a shifty back with the ability to break the big run or catch the ball out of the backfield. In three years as a contributor, Preston averaged a stellar 7.9 yards per carry and found the end zone 17 times. Like Smith, Preston’s most memorable moment came against rival Florida. Preston scored the game’s final touchdown in the 1994 contest in Tallahassee that later came to be known as the “Choke at Doak”. His 4-yard scamper was the fourth of four fourth quarter touchdowns for the Seminoles who erased a 31-3 deficit to force a tie.

2. Lonnie Pryor (2009-12)
Fullback
Stats: 718 rushing yards, 18 rushing touchdowns, 379 receiving yards, 5 touchdown receptions
Lonnie Pryor came to Florida State as a highly-touted tailback, but an injury to Daniel Gard in 2009 forced Pryor to try his hand at fullback. From there, he never looked back. In a selfless move, Pryor went from ball-carrier to primarily a lead blocker, but still managed to make his touches count. Over his career, Pryor hit pay dirt 23 times — good for 15th all-time in FSU history. Pryor capped his career with 134 rushing yards and two touchdowns on just five carries in a 31-10 Orange Bowl win over Northern Illinois — the first major bowl win for the Seminoles in 13 years.

1. Walt Sumner (1966-68)
Safety
Stats: 11 interceptions, 2 punt return touchdowns, 6 blocked kicks
Statistics weren’t kept real well for college football during the mid-to-late 1960s, but Walt Sumner’s impact did not go without notice at FSU. Sumner led the Seminoles with four interceptions in 1966 and was tied for the team lead with five in 1968. In addition to being a ball-hawk deep at safety, Sumner was dangerous in the return game with two career punt returns for touchdowns, including a 75-yard score in the famous 37-37 tie with No. 2 Alabama in Birmingham in 1967. Sumner left the school ranked second in career interceptions and remains 11th all-time at FSU in that category. He was inducted into the FSU Hall of Fame in 1982.

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