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FSU defense has depth, now looking for versatility
By Chaunte'l Powell
Florida State linebacker Dontavious Jackson, right, is among the players who will be showcased in the Seminoles' revamped defense this season. (Chris OMeara / AP)
TALLAHASSEE — Florida State defensive coordinator Harlon Barnett went from a painful lack of depth at defensive back last season to an abundance of talent at his disposal entering the 2019 season.
The surplus prompted the Seminoles to adopt multiple defensive looks, adding a 3-4 package to get as many of those athletes on the field at once.
Now that Barnett has the depth he'd prefer, the next step is getting the most out of versatile athletes. During the preseason, Barnett said the game is evolving in a way that makes versatility a requirement.
"The game in itself is almost putting multiple defensive back-type guys on the field — i.e., Derwin James. You watch him even last year in the league, he was all over the place. They used him very well," Barnett said. "I'm not saying [current Seminole Jaiden Lars-Woodbey] is Derwin James, I'm just saying you're getting more athletic-type bodies on the field nowadays because of the way the game is being played with [run-pass options] and stuff."
FSU players understand if they are to reach their goal of playing at the professional level, they must adapt. Linebacker Dontavious Jackson, a 2020 NFL draft prospect, is embracing change.
"For sure because you don't know where you're going when you get to the next level," he said. "So you don't know what scheme it'll be, whether it's 3-4, 4-3, so just being able to be versatile and [knowing] what position you can play [in] either [scheme] is always a good asset to have."
He said all the Seminoles are approaching the game with that mindset.
"Any guy wants to get on the field as many ways as possible in any way he can," Jackson said. "Expanding your range for your game is always every player's thought process before you get on the field."
Barnett said while the primary goal is to do what's best for the team, the coaches do want to prepare players for the NFL.
"That's kind of in the back of our mind, but the main thing is to get us right," he said. "And we teach them along the way and give them things that will help them at the next level just by how we coach, who we talk to in the offseason, things like that because we know that's where they strive to be. So we just try to give them every tool that they can have to help them prepare to go to the next level."
The commitment to playing at an elite level extends beyond learning new schemes.
After racking up pass-interference calls last year, defensive back Lavonta Taylor said the secondary studied film to learn what led to the calls.
"What I've been noticing, I've been watching a lot of NFL film too, and pass-interference calls are 50-50 now," he said. "A lot of teams take deep shots just because they feel like they're in a great position. Just throw the ball deep and it's a 50-50 catch. Referee might call pass interference and a lot of guys don't know how to turn their heads around when they're making plays on the ball. It happens so fast, people panic. So we worked on just staying calm. If you get beat, just keep running and put up your hands and stuff like that."
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Asante Samuel Jr. added that staying fundamentally sound eliminates a lot of problems.
"[The most important thing is] locating the ball, and when you locate the ball the ref's not going to be so trigger-happy to throw the flag," he said.
As the Seminoles head into this season with more confidence and a new scheme, they're trying to set the tone for what could be a dominant defense for years to come thanks to an impressive freshman class that is already thriving.
"The best defensive-back class that I've ever been a part of as a coach just came in this year," Barnett said. "That's how impressive those guys are, along with the guys we already had. So again, having that depth in that room really helps out."