FSU football: Five MAJOR ways Tony White changes the FSU defense immediately

FSU football head coach Mike Norvell has been in the market for a new defensive coordinator since firing Adam Fuller over three weeks ago. This search flew under the radar a bit more than the offensive coordinator search.

There were a few names thrown around, and I covered one of them here. However, ultimately, Mike Norvell went with Nebraska's defensive coordinator, Tony White.

I mentioned how well-respected Nole Peter Boulware wanted proven coordinators for each position. Gus Malzahn fits the bill on the offense, and White does the same for the defense.

While Malzahn has direct ties to Mike Norvell, White doesn't, and that's fine since he's a defensive coach. The main thing is does his philosophies jive with what Mike Norvell looks for in a coach and a defense?

White is a young guy with a strong track record everywhere he's been. He played 16 NFL games after going undrafted out of UCLA in 2002. White started as a high school coach before working his way through the ranks as a graduate assistant. He has coached linebackers and defense backs at different stops before becoming a defensive coordinator.

He also has seven years of recruiting coordinator experience. Nebraska fans were not happy that FSU stole White from them and voiced their frustration on social media. Here are five ways White can immediately change the FSU defense.

Physical Mindset

Aside from the 2023 FSU defense, Adam Fuller's defenses were slightly above average but never struck fear in opposing teams. The calling card for an FSU defense is aggression, fast, and physical play.

That's what we're going to get from a Tony White defense. Admittedly, I hadn't watched much film on his defenses before the hire, but I was impressed with what I saw once the news broke he'd be the guy.

We often saw FSU defensive players trying to run around blocks or run beside ball carriers for 5-10 yards before trying to make a tackle. Tony White's players take good angles and attack aggressively, knocking players backward instead of falling forward for two more yards.

His defensive lines reset the line of scrimmage and look to create havoc. The crazy part? He has been doing this at schools that can't attract the same type of talent that FSU can. No disrespect to Nebraska or Syracuse, but they are logistically a long way away from the majority of the top talent nationally. That won't be the case in Tallahassee, which brings me to the next point.

Youth/Recruiting

White is only 45 years old, and everything I've heard supports the sentiment that he relates well with players. He's a no-nonsense player's coach.

As mentioned, he has recruiting coordinator experience from his days at San Diego State, and the top three commits for Nebraska are defensive players.

He has some ties to the Southeast, but that's something he'll need to continue developing. However, his time at Syracuse put him in the ACC footprint, so he's familiar with a good bit of the terrain in the conference.

I think he's well-respected, and the numbers speak for themselves. He's credited with landing several blue-chip players, but I think it'll look different once he puts that FSU logo on his chest.

The good news? Opposing teams can't use any negative recruiting against him like they could with Adam Fuller. All he has to do is pull up the film of how he shut down Colorado's offense, or how he kept Nebraska in games with Ohio State and others. He doesn't need to be an ace, but he'll probably be an upgrade over Adam Fuller on the recruiting trail.

Proven Experience

White has been in the college coaching game since starting at UCLA as a graduate assistant. He was the linebackers coach at New Mexico State before moving to San Diego State to coach cornerbacks and become the recruiting coordinator.

He moved to Arizona State and was the interim defensive coordinator against FSU in the Sun Bowl before becoming the defensive coordinator at Syracuse for two years.

FSU played against him in 2022, but Syracuse was banged up and didn't have the recruiting depth to offset the injuries. Syracuse was respectable under White, considering the talent gap.

Syracuse improved from No. 68 nationally in 2021 to No. 45 in 2022. However, it was at Nebraska where he saw the biggest improvement. Nebraska ranked No. 91 nationally via FEI advanced metrics, and they improved to No. 19 nationally in White's first season in 2023.

They followed that up with the No. 18 ranked defense nationally in 2024. That's with high school class rankings around No. 20 and overall class rankings in the low 30s.

The sky is the limit, with what he can do with access to the talent in FSU's backyard.

Well Coordinated Multiple Defense

I was a supporter of Adam Fuller, but one thing that frustrated me was his inability to get the defense to play cohesively. Aside from the 2023 season, they never blitzed well and took a long time to adjust.

His defenses almost always ran man-to-man or some version of man-match in the secondary. It was relying on the front four to get pressure with two safeties deep to prevent big plays.

Teams often took advantage by getting guys in space against linebackers underneath or taking advantage of big cushions given by the defensive backs.

Tony White runs a 3-3-5 multiple defense. What that means is he can morph his defenses into different fronts. No, they will not always be in a 3-3-5 look. He'll rush four, blitz linebackers, rush three, and drop eight in coverage. The possibilities are endless and will help cause confusion with opposing quarterbacks.

That video is a cut-up of how they defended Colorado's offense. Look at how they rush different players and how well-timed the blitzes are from the linebackers.

Look at how they drop into coverage and tackle with physicality. They dominated the line of scrimmage in this game.

Potential Players

FSU will likely lose a lot of its better players to the NFL Draft. Joshua Farmer, Darrell Jackson, and AZ Thomas will likely declare.

They have some young talent in the trenches at linebacker, but they'll need an infusion of talent if those guys leave.

Welcome to the transfer portal, where several Nebraska players have already announced they plan to leave. What would be better than having players with experience playing in White's scheme?

Not to mention, there are a few blue-chip high school recruits who could follow him to Tallahassee. Did I mention he could potentially bring his defensive line coach (Terrance Knighton) with him? How big would that be to have a coach already familiar with the scheme?

Yes, that would mean Odell Haggins probably retires, but it's likely time since Haggins doesn't love the recruiting grind as he gets up there in age. Knighton would be an excellent hire and has the recruiting chops needed to get big-time players to Tallahassee.

Parting Thoughts

I like the hire a lot. If FSU can get Knighton to come? Chef's kiss. FSU has talent on its roster, but it needs a mindset shift and an infusion of talent to get back to its 2023 form.

White is a guy with a proven track record and multiple stops. He's young, hungry, and knows he has a big challenge to get FSU back to where it's supposed to be from a defensive standpoint.

However, it'll be no different than Nebraska, but the difference is he'll likely have the ability to get better players quicker. This is a place where White can parlay this into a head coaching job if he continues to have success.

FSU finished the 2024 season at No. 77 nationally, so it's in a better spot than the Nebraska defense White inherited. Can he get FSU inside the top 20 in his first year like Nebraska? If so, that would be amazing and FSU would win a ton of games in 2025.