FSU football: 5 major takeaways from 2023 regular season

Pat Surtain Was An Elite Hire

When Marcus Woodson left to take the job at Arkansas, the questions about who Mike Norvell would replace him with began to come.

When the announcement came that Pat Surtain would be the hire, there was a ton of optimism, although he had never coached at the college level. He had coached in South Florida at a powerhouse high school and had won state championships.

His son was a first-round NFL Draft pick recently, but there were questions. He had ties to South Florida, but could he recruit at a high level?

How would he fit into the defense staff and work with Adam Fuller? I think we all believed he could coach at a high level.

However, Patrick Surtain has done everything you could ask. He has arguably the top secondary committed in the 2024 recruiting class.

The FSU passing defense is arguably the best in the nation. Here’s where they rank nationally in passing defense:

• Completion percentage allowed-No. 1
• Yards per attempt: No. 7(tied with three others)
• Passing touchdowns allowed: No. 4
• Passes defensed: No. 1
• Passing yards allowed: No. 10
• QB rating: No. 5

This is a tremendous effort in year one, with guys he’s only been working with a few months. I can’ wait to see what this passing defense looks like when it’s littered with all the blue-chip players they’ll have on the roster soon.

Now, some credit must be given to the FSU football defensive line for how they get after the quarterbacks and don’t give them long to throw. However, I think it’s safe to say Surtain has far exceeded expectations.

Now the attention turns to putting it together in all three phases for the ACC Championship game against Lousiville Saturday night. Be sure to stay locked in to Chop Chat this week for all your news and analysis!