Patrick Surtain reacts to Florida State decision to part ways

For the first time since news broke of his departure from Florida State, Patrick Surtain spoke out. He served as FSU’s defensive backs coach for the last three seasons.

On3’s Pete Nakos reported Florida State’s decision to part ways with Surtain. Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell is expected to make changes this year after a five-win season, missing out on a bowl game for the second straight year.

In a social media post Friday night, Surtain reacted to the decision. He said he “gave everything” during his time in Tallahassee.

“That FIRED sh*t hit different,” Surtain wrote on X. “Gave everything for 3 years. I guess 4 years matter more than 40. BET!! Coach Super Good Yall.”

Surtain joined Florida State’s staff after spending one year as a defensive assistant with the Miami Dolphins in 2022. He started his coaching career at Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage in 2013, starting as defensive backs coach before moving up to defensive coordinator in 2015. In 2016, Surtain became the head coach and amassed a 66-10 overall record with the Patriots until his departure in 2021.

Surtain played college football at Southern Miss, where he started two of his four years. As a junior, he totaled six interceptions for 77 yards and again picked off six passes as a senior, taking them back for 127 yards to lead the conference. Those numbers helped him become a second-round pick in the 1998 NFL Draft.

During his professional career, Surtain spent seven seasons with the Miami Dolphins from 1998-2004 and four with the Kansas City Chiefs from 2005-2008. He finished his career with 192 tackles, as well as a sack and eight interceptions. His son, Patrick Surtain II, currently plays for the Denver Broncos.

Norvell found himself on the hot seat this year amid another rough go at Florida State. The Seminoles won just two games in 2024 and, despite a Week 1 victory over Alabama, struggled again in 2025 en route to a 5-7 record. Florida State later announced he would return as head coach, though there could be changes on the front-office side.

After FSU announced his return, Norvell addressed the state of the program. He thinks the Seminoles are close, and it comes down to experience paying off.

“We’ve got a young team,” Norvell said. “We’ve got some young players, we’ve got some guys that do have experience, but ultimately it’s still about the application of that. I don’t think we’re far off. I mean, there has been some things that have happened this year — we’ve earned the results of games, but we’ve also had some very unique dynamics that have contributed to that and to some of the negative outcomes that we’ve had.”