Florida State football made headlines this offseason by firing defensive backs coach Patrick Surtain Sr. This became a move that many individuals were confused by since Surtain Sr. had been a solid recruiter for the Seminoles, while the rest of the coaching staff had struggled in that aspect.
With that said, there is much more to coaching than recruiting. However, the defensive back group wasn't the reason behind the Seminoles' sluggish finish to the 2025 season. Surtain Sr. had rumors swirling that some of his players were showing up late for meetings and even one of them got in trouble with driving under the influence.
These are college students, so negative things are bound to happen as they take the learning lesson into what the real world will be like. However, Florida State has seen enough of the negative showing in terms of the perspective of the program.
Florida State is in the top five for four-star cornerback Chase Johnson
Even with the Seminoles not performing as well over the past couple of years, the defensive back position is one area where the program has never had difficulties finding the appropriate talent.
Fans can make an argument that the defensive back position is one of the bright spots during the Mike Norvell era. The DBU conversation has always been a staple of the fan base for years, with even recent guys like Jalen Ramsey, Derwin James, Asante Samuel Jr., Renardo Green, Jarrian Jones, and Azareye'h Thomas.
Florida State decided to hire Michigan's Blue Adams as cornerbacks coach and retained Evan Cooper as safeties coach. The storyline of the offseason has been keeping four-star safety Mekhi Williams in the fold and not flipping to the arch-rival Miami Hurricanes.
One other target that could help with Coach Adams is four-star cornerback prospect Chase Johnson, who released his top-five schools list with Florida State, Florida, Auburn, Georgia, and Miami.
NEWS: 4-star CB Chase Johnson has narrowed his list down to five schools.
— ChadSimmons (@ChadSimmons_) February 5, 2026
Why did Auburn, Florida, FSU, Georgia and Miami make the cut and what’s next?
The latest: https://t.co/TkqSeHbqet pic.twitter.com/seFKRZHVd4
The Seminoles cannot allow the Hurricanes to grab this talented defensive back prospect here, too. They have to hold their ground. Johnson is from Swainsboro, Georgia, so the Bulldogs could be a factor here in the recruitment. However, he did attend a game last year inside Doak Campbell Stadium that could put Florida State in a great position.
It should also be noted that the Florida Gators are also making a move to land Johnson. The Gators have the "new-car smell" with hiring Jon Sumrall this offseason.