FSU football: 10 major questions heading into 2024 fall camp
By Kelvin Hunt
Who Steps Up At Safety Besides Shyheim Brown?
The importance of the safety position in Adam Fuller's defense was lost on casual fans last season. FSU had a stretch where they struggled to stop the run and allowed some big players through the air. Most of those plays happened when Akeem Dent was out with a hamstring injury suffered in the Southern Mississippi game. Kevin Knowles tried to fill in and was ineffective because he's not a safety, and freshman Conrad Hussey was inexperienced. FSU tried to fast-track Hussey as another freshman, KJ Kirkland, also went down with an injury.
Dent exhausted eligibility, so FSU brought in two transfers to bring experience and depth to the position. Devonte Brown and former Nole Omarion Cooper will battle Hussey, Kirkland, Ashlynd Barker, and other talented young players for snaps. The good news? FSU returns two of the top corners in the conference, which should take some pressure off the safeties, and the defensive line should be among the best in the conference. It's a crowded room, but I have faith, that Patrick Surtain and Adam Fuller will find the right combinations to feature one of the top secondaries nationally once again.