FootballScoop is proud to announce that Patrick Surtain (Florida State) is the 2023 FootballScoop Defensive Backs Coach of the Year presented by AstroTurf as selected by prior winners.
How does one prove they are the best defensive backfield in the nation? To start, you hold the best quarterback in the country to his worst night of the season.
That's literally what Florida State did. In Orlando to open the season, the Seminoles limited Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels to 22-of-37 passing for 346 yards with a touchdown and an interception -- his lowest completion percentage, his lowest touchdown output, his second-lowest yards per attempt, and his lowest efficiency rating -- in a 45-24 Seminoles win. Against everyone else, Daniels compiled an out-of-this-world 216.5 quarterback rating; against the 'Noles, Daniels was a pedestrian 141.5.
And so it was for Florida State in 2023. Undefeated through the ACC Championship, the Seminoles officially boasted the nation's stingiest pass defense, leading the nation in passing efficiency.
Opposing passers completed only 181-of-387 attempts for 2,215 yards with eight touchdowns against 10 interceptions through the end of the regular season. That completion percentage (46.8) not only led the country, it was the best by any FBS team since 2016, and nearly five points better than any in the nation this season. The corresponding 5.7 yards per attempt average placed Florida State fifth nationally, and the eight touchdowns tied for third fewest. Florida State was one of seven pass defenses to have a positive INT-to-TD ratio.
At one point in the season, Florida State went four straight games without allowing a touchdown pass, and only two opponents tossed more than one scoring strike.
Eight of 13 Florida State opponents posted QB ratings of less than 100. A few greatest hits, following the outstanding performance against LSU:
-- vs. Southern Miss: 11-of-34 (32.4 percent) for 154 yards with 0 TDs and 1 INT
-- vs. Virginia Tech: 14-of-27 for 104 yards (3.9 per attempt) with 0 TDs
-- vs. Syracuse: 12-of-31 (38.7 percent) for 137 yards (4.4) with 0 TDs and 1 INT
-- vs. Duke: 8-of-22 for 76 yards (3.5) with 0 TDs and 1 INT
-- vs. Wake Forest: 6-of-16 for 82 yards with 0 TDs
-- vs. Louisville: 14-of-36 (38.9 percent) for 111 yards (3.1) with 0 TDs and 1 INT
Remarkably, Florida State did not have a First Team All-ACC honoree in the secondary. Cornerback Renardo Green made the Second Team, safety Shyheim Brown made the Third Team, and cornerbacks Jarrian Jones and Fentrell Cypress and safety Akeem Dent garnered honorable mention.
An 11-year NFL veteran and a longtime South Florida high school coach, the 2023 season was Surtain's first at the college level. The 1997 Conference USA Player of the Year at Southern Miss entered coaching in 2013 at American Heritage High School, and spent 2016-21 as the school's head coach. He joined the Miami Dolphins as a defensive assistant for the 2022 campaign, then joined Mike Norvell's staff in January. He is the father of Denver Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II.
The FootballScoop Coaches of the Year awards presented by AstroTurf are the only set of awards that recognize the most outstanding position coaches in college football. The finalists (Steve Clinkscale and Jay Harbaugh [Michigan], Mike Mickens and Chris O'Leary [Notre Dame], Tim Walton and Perry Eliano [Ohio State], Ross Watson and Corey Parker [Toledo] and Surtain) were selected based off of nominations by coaches, athletic directors, and athletic department personnel. The prior winners selected this year's winner.
Previous winners of the Defensive Backs Coach of the Year award are Tim Billings (Wake Forest, 2008), Everett Withers and Troy Douglas (North Carolina, 2009), Chad Glasgow and Clay Jennings (TCU, 2010), Ron Cooper (LSU, 2011), Bill Busch and Kendrick Shaver (Utah State, 2012), Jeremy Pruitt (Florida State, 2013), Dave Wommack and Jason Jones (Ole Miss, 2014), Mike Reed (Clemson, 2015), Charles Clark and Joe Tumpkin (Colorado, 2016), Anthony Campanile (Boston College, 2017), Bryan Brown and Greg Gasparato (Appalachian State, 2018), Mickey Conn and Mike Reed (Clemson, 2019), Perry Eliano and Colin Hitschler (Cincinnati, 2020), Phil Parker (Iowa, 2021) and Aaron Henry (Illinois, 2022).
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