FSU football: Thoughts on Patrick Surtain Sr. introductory interview

FSU football hired a new defensive backs coach to replace Marcus Woodson, who took a job at Arkansas after the 2022 season concluded.

You likely know Patrick Surtain Sr. was the hire, although you haven’t heard him speak until Wednesday’s introductory press conference.

I provided my initial thoughts when the news broke. However, I have more thoughts after hearing Surtain speak for the first time.

The entire interview is below:

Thoughts

The first thing that stands out to me is the coach’s demeanor. He seems confident and articulates what drew him to take the job at FSU. He understands the standard at FSU, having played against them in college when FSU was a perennial powerhouse.

The fact he wants to be hand’s on and actually develop young men is a huge plus. However, one of the biggest things that stood out is his willingness to talk about recruiting. He mentioned he had a conversation with Coach Norvell about not putting limits on where they have to go to find the best players.

Surtain talks about his relationships in South Florida and the confidence to make an impact there. His emphasis on developing defensive backs with the mindset and ability to take the ball away, which he noticed has been lacking in recent years was big.

It’s clear there was due diligence done on both sides by Mike Norvell and Patrick Surtain Sr. There’s mutual respect, and Surtain stating Mike Norvell has the blueprint to get this program where it needs to go stands out.

Surtain talked to others about Norvell, and they all said the same thing, which is the same thing former players say.

Surtain got on the recruiting trails almost immediately and has already started building relationships and sending offers to players. He’s already building relationships with current players and believes they have the talent to develop. It’s early, but all signs point to this being an upgrade and excellent hire.