Florida State football headed into the offseason with issues in the secondary since defensive backs coach Patrick Surtain Sr. was dismissed. This made many of the players in the position group think twice about returning to the Seminoles.
The Seminoles had plenty of players who were frustrated by the move to fire him. It didn't seem like an easy decision because Surtain Sr. was thought to have a good relationship with the players and recruited at a high level.
However, Florida State started to have good news sprinkled in as Ja'Bril Rawls and Ashlynd Barker made their announcements that they would be returning to the Seminoles in 2026 (Earl Little Jr.