FSU football: Reaction to hiring Patrick Surtain Sr. as DB coach

FSU football head coach Mike Norvell has had an amazing last few months in Tallahassee. The Noles signed a strong high school class in the Early Signing Period and have the No. 1 transfer portal class.

FSU saw transfer defensive tackle Darrell Jackson enroll at FSU Monday and transfer defensive end Gilber Edmond commit to FSU Tuesday. The Noles were also in the market for a new defensive backs coach with the departure of Marcus Woodson to Arkansas.

Mike Norvell knew he needed to find an upgrade at the position from a coaching and recruiting standpoint. I’m not sure he could have done much better than Miami Dolphins defensive assistant Patrick Surtain Sr.

Surtain Sr. is an 11-year NFL veteran and three-time Pro Bowler with ties to South Florida. He was head coach at American Heritage High in Broward County for five years, and his son is currently playing in the NFL.

Reaction

Thoughts

Surtain Sr. will join the FSU football program once the Miami Dolphins finished their season in the playoffs. Aside from Asante Samuel Jr., FSU hasn’t produced many high-caliber defensive backs in recent years.

They haven’t had the recruiting success or the development needed to field an elite secondary as FSU used to in its heyday.

Although Patrick Surtain doesn’t have college coaching experience, the development side should come second nature, it’s the recruiting aspect he’ll need to hone in on. However, that shouldn’t be too difficult with his resume and ties to the South Florida area.

Plus, it helps the trajectory of FSU appear to be ascending under Mike Norvell. All the negative recruiting teams had doesn’t hold much weight nowadays, and the momentum FSU has going into the offseason is at a fever pitch.

They need one more safety from the transfer portal to fulfill every roster need going into 2023. The hire of Surtain Sr. might be enough to get that final piece relatively soon.