OTB: How we put together this year’s 40 Most Important Players List

The countdown of Florida State’s 40 Most Important Players for the 2026 season has concluded. Diving into the yearly exercise is always worthwhile to get a better sense of the roster and how we perceive strengths and weaknesses. This list was highlighted by a crystalizing moment midway through sifting among the candidates as it felt like depth fell off a cliff. It was an interesting experience to discover in real-time. This is what we came up with as Trey Rowland led the charge, Brendan Sonnone set the parameters, and the X’s and Noles fellas sorted the order with Kolby Crawford chiming in. Here’s a listen to how we composed the 40 Most Important Players. You can subscribe to On The Bench, X’s and Noles, and Beyond The Bench on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify. As always, five-star reviews and comments on Apple Podcasts are appreciated! Also, you can watch the show on YouTube now. We'll do live streams as well, and you can get notifications on when we're live by subscribing to our YouTube channel.