Florida State plans to hire Brandon Harris as the new cornerbacks coach according to several reports. Harris, 35, was the defensive backs coach at UCF this past season and spent a year in Tallahassee as a graduate assistant under Mike Norvell in 2020.
Prior to his time at UCF, Harris spent three seasons at Florida Atlantic starting as the cornerbacks coach and eventually moving into a co-defensive coordinator and interim defensive coordinator role. He has also spent time at FIU. Harris will replace Patrick Surtain Sr., who was let go from the staff last week.
Sources: Florida State is expected to hire UCF defensive backs coach Brandon Harris to work with the FSU secondary. He was named to the AFCA 35 Under 35 this year and worked at FAU prior to UCF. He's a former second-round NFL Draft pick. pic.twitter.com/r156USepnd
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) December 10, 2025
The Harris family tree of coaches
Harris is part of a long lineage of coaches n his family. His brother, Tim Harris Jr., is already on the FSU staff as the wide receivers coach. Brandon Harris played under his father, Tim "Ice" Harris Sr., at Booker T. Washington High School in Miami and won an FHSAA state championship in 2007. The elder Harris has been one of the top high school football coaches in Florida for years.
Brandon Harris was one of the top prospects in the state and played for the Miami Hurricanes from 2008-2010. Harris was a two-time All-ACC performer and a third-team All-American (2009) at Miami. He was drafted in the second round (60th overall) by the Houston Texans in the 2011 NFL Draft and spent six years in the league.
With both Brandon Harris and Tim Harris Jr. on the staff, FSU should be much more competitive for top prospects in the South Florida tri-county area (Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade). The Harris family has been football royalty in Miami for decades and those connections should prove to be fruitful for the Seminoles in recruiting.
The coaching changes continue
Harris will be the fourth significant coaching move involving FSU over the past week. He joins new edge rusher/defensive ends coach Nick Williams as new additions to the staff. Williams was hired earlier this week after two years at Syracuse.
Running backs coach David Johnson left the Seminoles to take a similar position at Arkansas and defensive analyst Zach Arnett left to be the defensive coordinator at Mississippi State. Johnson's position on the staff has yet to be filled.