FSU Football: Spring Position Group Preview | Defensive Backs
We continue our position preview series this week with a group that has left some to be desired in Norvell's tenure but stand to make a major jump in 2023.
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Scholarship Defensive Backs
#1 Akeem Dent | Safety | Akeem enterās his redshirt senior season having finally settled into a starting position at safety. At this point itās his position to lose but make no mistake it will take a continued CLIMB to hold onto that spot.
#3 Kevin Knowles III | Slot | Kevin came out of the gate hot and played admirably as a true freshman in 2021. While Knowles III played well in 2022 another player came in and made a similar impact as he had the previous year. Knowles will be in the rotation here but I donāt know if he can win the job or not.
#7 Jarrian Jones | Corner | Jarrian Jones heads into his Redshirt Senior year having had a rocky road traveled to this point. He transferred to Mike Norvellās program from Mississippi State and has been a steady presence in that room and played better than folks, including myself, have given him credit for. Curious to see if Coach Surtain will give him snaps lined up in the slot this spring.
#8 Renardo Green | Corner | Green is yet another redshirt senior having moved around in the room only really focusing in on the corner position this past year. You should see a trend by now. Players have found their way to their most natural position and increased talent has created stimulating competition. I like Green to start at corner. He is plenty physical enough to roam the boundary.
#13 Omarrion Cooper | Safety* | Duke Cooper heads into his junior year having blasted onto the scene in 2021 snatching a starting corner position and by the end of the year being the leader of that room in terms of play on the field. He entered year two with a ton of hype and a major letdown of which most believe to be due to a nagging injury. With incoming transfers and the emergence of the aforementioned Renardo Green the coaching staff has had him moved to safety to compete for a starting job there hopefully with the blessing of good health.
#16 Quindarrious Jones | Corner | Jones comes in as a three star recruit, number 850 overall according to 247 Sports. That said if he comes in and plays well enough this spring he will get a fair shot at playing time come this fall.
#18 Travis Jay | Safety* | Travis Jay is a redshirt junior which seems too early a title. Jay has had quite an up and down and all around time in Tallahasse but just hasnāt been able to find his niche just yet. FSU fans all over the world are hoping 2023 is the year, and he can lockdown a spot in the safety rotation.
#20 Azaryeh Thomas | Corner | I make no apologies for my inherent bias when it comes to former Niceville High School Blue Chip defensive back Azaryeh Thomas. He had a very impressive true freshman campaign in 2022 and Iām expecting truly inspiring growth from him after a full year inside this program. He should immediately be the first corner off the bench for Renardo Green and Fentrell Cypress II. Will he reach a level in which the coaches have to get him on the field? No position is truly safe inside this secondary.
#21 Greedy Vance Jr. | Slot | Greedy came to FSU in what fans and bloggers alike dubbed a straight up trade for Jarvis Brownlee Jr. with the Louisville Cardinals. If I were to judge this tradeās merits I would say again Mike Norvellās roster management and evaluations are unmatched. Vance Jr. will have to have a great spring to lock down his starting status.
#23Fentrell Cypress II | Corner | The creme de las creme of this years transfer class and #4 overall player in ON3s final Transfer Ratings. The #2 corner to, you guessed it, Travis Hunter though he was never truly on the market. Fentrell II will obviously have to work to earn his place amongst his brothers but he didnāt transfer in as the best corner in the entire conference in his big money year to ride the bench. Iām counting on him to lock down one side of the field and follow a teams number one threat all the way across the field if need be.
#24 Kenton KJ Kirkland | Kirkland is another three star true freshman early enrollee. He will have every oppurtunity but I tend to lean towards a redshirt year geting accustomed to the college game and life.
#38 Shyheim Brown | Safety | One of the younger players in the secondary as a redshirt sophomore, Shyheim Browm is my favorite player at safety. In 2022 I saw flashes of brilliance and it all started blocking a kick in week one against LSU. Currently listed at 6ā2ā and 205 pounds Brown is a veritable heat seeking missile in the backfield. All signs point towards him and Dent starting at safety but we can not eliminate the possibility of a guy like Duke Cooper or a May transfer that could certainly change that at some point.
Walk-Ons
#26 Dwayne Wells Jr.
#37 Christian White
#39 Jaden Floyd
#42 Harold Stubbs IV
#43 Danj Altine
Pat Surtain Takes Over
Renegade Report covered this process in great detail up until it was official and I couldnāt be any happier with the hire. Coach Surtain immediately boosted recruiting defensive backs, specifically in the talent rich state of Florida. Coach brings eleven years of high level NFL experience and the knowledge to teach the position at the highest level as a member of the Miami Doplhins coaching staff in 2022. I expect his fresh prospective and confidence to rub off on a veteran group and this yearās DB room will see the Noleās return to their respective perch at the top of CFB.
Pre-Spring Projected 2-Deep
Corner
Fentrell Cypress II
Azaryeh Thomas
Corner
Renardo Green
Jarrian Jones or Azaryeh Thomas
Nickel/ Slot Corner
Greedy Vance Jr.
Kevin Knowles III
Safety
Shyheim Brown
Travis Jay
Safety
Akeem Dent
Omarrion Cooper
These are simply pre-spring projections and can only account for currently known position changes, and who is on the roster currently. Itās very possible a May transfer or a freshman like Conrad Hussy could have a say in the safety rotation in fall camp. Thank you all for reading the entire preview as we continue to take a look under the hood at all of them!