FSU football: 3 burning questions after 2022 spring camp

How Much Improvement Can We Expect From the Defense?

I have a more in-depth piece I plan to write on this subject in the coming days. I’ve done some research going back to last year’s team that gives me hope they’ll make a marked improvement, despite the losses of Jermaine Johnson and Keir Thomas.

The amount of returning production coupled with the familiarity of year three in Adam Fuller’s defense is one reason advanced metrics predict the Noles to be a top 20 defense.

What I’m most interested in is how many advanced tactics can Fuller implement this year? Although the defense was good after the Louisville game, they still seemed to lack the ability to blitz effectively.

The blitzes developed slowly and never got home or affected the play often enough. Of course, the problem is usually someone is wide open in the passing game in that situation. The addition of Tatum Bethune upgrades the linebacker spot, and Kalen DeLoach should take another step.

Could we see more blitzes from the secondary? It’s something the defenses with Mark Stoops and Jeremy Pruitt did well back in the day. Will we see better pattern matching in the secondary?

FSU doesn’t have the elite players they had in 2013, but there is enough blue-chip talent to be among the top 20 defenses if the coordination and working as a unit happen.