Early list of coaches FSU football could target to replace Patrick Surtain Sr.

Florida State's first move of the offseason came as a surprise when the program fired defensive backs coach Patrick Surtain Sr. following his third year with the program.

The belief is that the Seminoles will look to add a cornerbacks coach to the room to work alongside side safeties coach Evan Cooper. That would be similar to what FSU did on Monday, bringing in Nick Williams as defensive ends/EDGE coach with Terrance Knighton handling the interior.

Who are some of the early options Florida State could target to replace Surtain Sr? The five names below might fit what the Seminoles are looking for.

Brandon Harris, UCF Defensive Backs Coach

Harris is a figure with several ties to Florida State. He previously worked for the Seminoles as a defensive analyst in 2020. Plus, Harris is the younger brother of current wide receivers coach/pass game coordinator Tim Harris Jr.

Over the last several years, Harris has established himself as a rising name across the Sunshine State while working at FIU, FAU, and UCF. He worked his way up from cornerbacks coach to co-defensive coordinator with the Owls and served as interim defensive coordinator late in the 2025 season.

Harris developed two all-conference selections at FAU, including CJ Heard, a former FSU commit who totaled 82 tackles, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, and a pass deflection as a true freshman.

UCF brought him on for the 2025 campaign. The Knights ranked No. 25 in the country in passing defense, allowing 185.1 passing yards per game while creating nine interceptions.

Harris is the son of South Florida coaching legend Tim Harris Sr. He spent his college career at Miami and was selected in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft. Harris is relatively young, but his upward trajectory and ties across the state are promising.

T.J. Rushing, Former Auburn Safeties Coach

Maybe the second time is the charm? Rushing followed Norvell to Tallahassee from Memphis as defensive backs coach. The hire was officially announced on December 28, 2019. A few weeks later, Rushing departed for the same position at Texas A&M.

Rushing spent four seasons with the Aggies. Texas A&M's defense finished in the top-10 multiple times, including No. 1 in passing defense (156.2 passing yards allowed per game) in 2022. He landed multiple blue-chip prospects in College Station, including a pair of five-stars.

After Jimbo Fisher was fired, Rushing landed at Auburn as a special assistant to the head coach. He was promoted to safeties coach this past season. However, Hugh Freeze was fired, and now Rushing is looking for another job.

A Super Bowl Champion with the Indianapolis Colts, Rushing spent half a decade playing in the NFL following a standout career at Stanford.

Rushing has 13 years of coaching experience and worked with Mike Norvell at Arizona State and Memphis, along with his short tenure at Florida State. He's coached top defenses and recruited relatively well. Plus, the Seminoles won't have to hire him away from another program.

Nick Monroe, Minnesota Co-Defensive Coordinator/Cornerbacks Coach

Monroe is a veteran coach with a direct tie to Florida State defensive coordinator Tony White. The two worked together at Syracuse from 2020-22, when White served as DC and Monroe was the safeties/rovers coach and defensive passing game coordinator. In 2022, the Orange ranked top-15 in the country in passing defense, allowing just 184.8 passing yards per game.

The 46-year-old moved on to Minnesota when White departed for Nebraska. He's been the cornerbacks coach and co-defensive coordinator for the Gophers over the past three seasons. Monroe has coached multiple NFL draft picks since 2021, including a trio of players he recruited and developed at Syracuse.

Monroe was listed as the primary recruiter for 20+ prospects that he signed out of the Sunshine State. His relationship with White is notable, but it won't be easy to pull him away from Minnesota, where he made $460,000 in 2025. It is worth noting that his contract expires in January of 2026.

John Butler, Former Nebraska Defensive Coordinator

Butler is another coach who previously worked with White, but it was a short stint. He parted ways with the NFL's Buffalo Bills in 2024, making his way to Nebraska as secondary coach/defensive pass game coordinator. At the time, White was still the Cornhuskers' defensive coordinator, and Terrance Knighton was on staff as the defensive line coach.

Nebraska promoted Butler to defensive coordinator following White's move to Florida State. The program recently fired him after the conclusion of his first season leading the defense. The Cornhuskers ranked No. 2 in the country in passing defense, allowing 141.1 yards per game and forcing six interceptions.

Most of Butler's recent coaching experience came at the professional level. He had stints with the Houston Texans and the Bills from 2014-23. Consequently, Butler doesn't have a ton of exposure when it comes to recruiting in the current age of college football.

Butler made $1 million this year, but the Seminoles may be able to get him on a discount since he's on the open market.

Chip West, Former Wake Forest Cornerbacks Coach

West has gained plenty of experience since his first job at the college level in 1997. He worked as the cornerbacks coach at Syracuse during all three of White's seasons with the program. That only further leads to the argument that White wants to add a second secondary coach at Florida State, as he had two alongside him with the Orange.

As things stand, West is searching for a job after Wake Forest chose not to retain him following the 2024 season. The Demon Deacons had a coaching change with Dave Clawson stepping down and Jake Dickert taking over. West has developed multiple all-conference selections and NFL Draft picks over the last 20 years.

The main concern is his acumen on the recruiting trail. West had success at Virginia, but not much since then. He was regarded as the primary recruiter for a pair of five-star prospects, including Quin Blanding, who was a three-time first-team All-ACC selection.

West should be relatively inexpensive since he's essentially a free agent at the moment.

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