Young DBs may be in mix quickly
TALLAHASSEE — Florida State coach Willie Taggart said he believes the Seminoles brought in the right recruiting pieces to help the rebuilding defense reach its goals.
During Harlon Barnett’s first year as defensive coordinator, FSU ranked No. 80 nationally in total defense, allowing 416.3 yards per game and 47 touchdowns.
One of the key issues was a lack of consistency in the secondary. Toward the end of the season, FSU’s defensive backs had a hard time getting their heads around to track the ball and, as a result, racked up a number of costly pass-interference calls.
Barnett noted during the season that many of the plays looked clean to him, but the coaches would get back to the drawing board to help FSU avoid more costly flags.
As the Seminoles look to shut down opponents’ pass options without the help of star Brian Burns rushing up front, they have numerous strong athletes at their disposal to help share the workload. The group includes fourstar recruits Akeem Dent and Travis Jay.
The Seminoles signed five defensive backs and Taggart said they’re all ready to compete immediately for playing time.
“[I] really, really like our defensive back class,” he said. “I think it’s one of the best that’s out there. Those guys are highly competitive. They all have a chip on their shoulder and they all think they’re the best.
“And you like that. … They know they’ve got to come here and compete, and they want to compete. But I put them up with anyone. I really like those guys and look forward to them coming here competing and developing and being the football players we know they can be.”