Mike Norvell expected to name Patrick Surtain defensive backs coach at Florida State
Mike Norvell went to the NFL to fill the coaching vacancy on his staff, and he’s picking up some strong South Florida ties in the process.
Former NFL star Patrick Surtain, who played for the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs during an 11-year career and also was a highly successful high school coach in South Florida, will soon be announced as the Seminoles’ next defensive backs coach, Warchant has confirmed.
The hiring was first reported Tuesday evening by Pete Thamel of ESPN and Matt Fortuna of The Athletic. Surtain will replace Marcus Woodson, who took a similar job at Arkansas last week.
An official announcement from Florida State is not expected tonight, Warchant was told, but it could come as soon as Wednesday.
Norvell tacitly acknowledged the hiring shortly after the news leaked Tuesday night.
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Surtain’s name is familiar to most football fans in the state of Florida.
Not only did he have an 11-year NFL career, highlighted by three Pro Bowl seasons with the Miami Dolphins, but his son, Patrick Surtain II, was an All-American at Alabama and the ninth overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft.
The younger DB played for his dad at American Heritage High School in Plantation. Surtain was the head coach there for six years and won three state championships, compiling an overall record of 65-10.
Surtain was hired by the Miami Dolphins in February of 2022 as a defensive assistant and has been on the staff for the last 11 months.
The Southern Miss graduate is 46 years old and a native of New Orleans.
Talk about this story with other die-hard FSU football fans on the Tribal Council.
