Warchant Subscriber Q&A: Florida State defensive back Ja'Bril Rawls

As part of a continuing offseason series of interviews with Florida State football players, The Battle’s End provided Warchant time with defensive back Ja’Bril Rawls for a one-on-one interview. The rising redshirt sophomore made waves in FSU’s spring camp and is a leading contender to start at cornerback for the Seminoles in the fall.

Warchant subscribers provided a series of questions for Rawls via the Tribal Council Forum. Staff writer Matt LaSerre conducted the one-on-one interview.

Here are Rawls’ thoughts on FSU football’s spring camp, the 2025 season ahead and more.

(Editor’s note: Some questions and answers were edited for brevity and clarity)

Q: What are your thoughts on Tony White‘s defensive system? (Subscriber Pensacola1985)

Rawls: It was great. He put me in the right spot. I’m always in the right spot when the ball is out, in time for the play to be made. So Coach Tony White, I like how he came here and he laid everything down pretty straightforward. He let us know that we were going to get our eyes on the ball, and we’ve seen that this spring. It caused a lot of turnovers this spring. Been around the ball a lot.

So just with our new coverages and not playing man a lot, that really gets me to showcase my abilities. So, yeah, you guys are going to be in for a good rude awakening this year for our coaches.

Q: What did players/coaches do to try to account for missed time stemming from FSU’s on-campus tragedy? (Subscriber Venetian Salami)

Rawls: With the open weight room hours, extra film and meeting up as a team — well, as a defensive back group — we all meet up. … We’ve been just trying to be in the building as much as possible or to see each other’s faces or check in on each other every time we get. So just being around each other and we keep building that connection. I feel like that situation made us closer, a lot closer.

Q: Who on offense has stood out/who do you like to compete against in practice? (Subscriber Preston Parker)

Rawls: I’d say Duce. He’s one of them, definitely Duce Robinson. He was going back and forth before he got his injury (Robinson missed a brief period of time late in spring). Freshman-wise, I’d say [Jayvan] Boggs. He caught my eye. Yeah, me and him, we’ve been going at it. But he’s been stepping up to the plate, showing me that he can do everything. We’ve got Squirrel [White] as well. We had a lot of guys that weren’t fully healthy to be able to participate this spring. But those three, they caught my eyes this year for sure.

Q: How is the energy in the CB/DB room? Anyone setting the tone? (Subscriber James B.)

Rawls: We got a lot of them. Everybody pretty much sets the tone every day. You’ve got Earl [Little]. You got ‘Smoke’ [Christian] White. He’s setting the tempo in my practice every day as well. We got Shyheim Brown, the older guy, a vet. Majority of the guys, they pretty much are setting a tempo every day. I’ll even be the one that sets the tempo on some days as well.

Q: How has the adjustment been now having a dedicated safeties coach and how beneficial has it been having a pair of former NFL coaches coaching the DB segment? (Subscriber GbrNole)

Rawls: Really it’s been a big difference, and it helped a lot actually, just based off of what Coach Evan Cooper, what he’s bringing to the table, and what Coach Patrick Surtain is bringing to the table. Both of their resumes speak volumes of them. So just them both putting their heads together and gaining a lot of information. … Just (paying) attention to the details of what they’re telling me and what advice they give me each and every day and tips and for me to better my game, it’s been really great.

Q: Since you’ve arrived at Florida State, who has influenced your life the most and how? (Subscriber Indianx3)

Rawls: Coach [Mike] Norvell, definitely. Each and every day, he pushes me to the point where I feel like I can’t even go no more. He brings a different side out of me that I didn’t think I had. Just him for these past three years, just my growth, me and him, each and every exit meeting we have has been great. He speaks high volumes of me. But yeah, he pushes me to my best each and every day. And these past three years, he’s been a great influence on me.

Q: How did playing high school ball in Pensacola shape you? (Subscriber Pensacola1985)

Rawls: It shaped me really well. I mean, it got me to where I am now. But just growing up playing backyard football, I had a lot of older brothers. So they were pretty tough on me. So I had to get good at football some way, somehow, but I was just playing backyard football.

I just feel like my high school, Pensacola Catholic, they did the best job of preparing me academic-wise for college and then as well on the field. So with football, they put me in the right position.

My defensive coordinator, Coach Mac (Kerry McDowell), he put me in the right spot. He felt like cornerback was a good fit for me my first two years. And then the second two years, I played a little bit of corner and then switched from corner to safety. So just being that versatile player, he knew I had it in me. So they really showed me pretty well.

Q: What are your thoughts on the N7 turquoise jerseys? Waffle House order? (Subscriber Pensacola1985)

Rawls: I’m a big fan of them. I’m definitely a big fan of them. But, yeah, I’m – I can’t wait for us to bring those out. It’s probably gonna be my (favorite) uniform that we wear. Last year, I feel like it wasn’t the right time to bring them out. But this year, yeah, definitely.

I’m going to go with a bacon, egg and cheese hash brown bowl with extra bacon. Extra cheese on the eggs as well. And then throw some hot sauce, some hot sauce packages in there. Yeah, I’ll call it a day right there.

Q: Coach White told you to think like an NFL cornerback as far as putting mistakes behind you. How has that affected your game? (Subscriber Islandchief)

Rawls: It affects my game a lot because football happens quick. You can’t just sit down and can’t sit and think on the bad play that happened. You have to go react. You have to respond. Coach Norvell tells us respond every day. What are you going to do when a bad thing happens? Are you going to sit there and think about it, get in your head about it? Which could possibly lead to, what? A touchdown. You feel me?

So just him telling me to think like an NFL cornerback and next play mentality, that really helps me out a lot and it gets me going. I don’t have to sit there and like if I get a ball caught on me or like a five yard-hitch, I don’t have to sit there … it’s just next play, get the next call. Let’s go.

Q: What’s your take on what happened between 2023 and 2024? (Subscriber Venetian Salami)

Rawls: It was a big change. We had a lot of guys leave from the 2023 year. So it was just like a whole new team. We had a bunch of changes and, yeah, the 2024 season was was a brutal season. It was a season that we won’t forget, that we will remember. We’re just going to definitely try to be the best we can this year and showcase and show the world that first game.

Q: After spring camp, do you see more talent, dedication and development on the 2025 team? (Subscriber Venetian Salami)

Yes, definitely. From both sides of the ball. Definitely.

Q: How has Coach Surtain developed you in your time at FSU? And what has Coach White added this year? (Staff)

Rawls: Coach Patrick, he developed a lot in my game. I’d say just technique-wise, understanding the game more and just being a student to the game, like just me recognizing the offenses, their schemes and what they’re trying to get done.

And coach Tony White, what he added, he added just the dog out of me, which I really needed to bring out and you guys are going to see this year. So he added the dog out of me and just wanted me to be me and not be anyone else out there. So he really just had me stay level with it.

Q: What does The Battle’s End do to make your life easier? (Staff)

Rawls: They do a lot of great things, lots of great things. Just the community of The Battle’s End, all the Boosters. The time that they pour into us and the donations and everything, that’s really a big blessing for us as athletes. And it helps me out a lot. They help me, help my family out. So it’s a real big appreciation to The Battle’s End team.

Thank you, Ja’Bril!

Rawls: Appreciate you. Have a blessed day.

ALSO SEE: The Battle’s End Student Athlete Series videos:

James Williams

Andre Otto

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