Now settled in at safety, Dent becomes playmaker for FSU defense

He says his confidence never really wavered all that much.

But there had to be a moment, somewhere near the end of 2020, when Akeem Dent wondered if he was ever going to make a real impact for the Florida State football team.

He's not wondering that anymore. Neither is anybody else.

The former five-star recruit, who bounced between different defensive back positions earlier in his career, has found a permanent home at safety for the Seminoles. He also has found the football quite a bit the last few practices.

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Dent recorded an interception during Thursday's practice, had two interceptions during Saturday's scrimmage, and then finished off Tuesday's practice with an interception in the end zone.

After starring at cornerback in high school, Dent might not be playing the position he expected to play at Florida State, but he's certainly starting to make the difference he anticipated.

"Just seeing ball, chasing ball and getting the ball," Dent said Tuesday, when asked about his prowess for forcing turnovers. "I just see it. I'm trusting my keys. Trusting what I see. That's the difference. I'm not second-guessing no more. I just trust it and I get it."

While Dent maintained that he has always had confidence, even when he wasn't getting on the field much in 2020, he said it started to get ratcheted up to where it is now during last year's Miami game.

*ALSO SEE: Updates from Tuesday's practice

One play in particular, he said, was a key to instilling that belief that he could be not just be a college football player, but a college football playmaker.

"Honestly, that really started to click in the Miami game," Dent said. "With that little forced fumble that I scooped up. But they blew it dead. That's when it started for me."

Dent finished the year playing the best football of his career.

He had nine tackles in the loss at Clemson. He had a game-sealing interception at Boston College. Then he finished off the 2021 season with an eight-tackle effort against Florida.

The interception against Boston College was the first of Dent's career. But not because he hadn't had opportunities. As a freshman in 2019, Dent had a number of potential interceptions bounce in and out of his hands.

Those issues with drops certainly appear to be a thing of the past. He's had four interceptions in the past three practices and is feeling more comfortable and more confident than ever.

"I just feel like for me, my stars are lining up," Dent said. "And I just feel like I'm reaping the benefits of that. So, with that being said, I just feel confident and like what's going on right now."

So do his coaches.

Florida State already returns one safety in Jammie Robinson who was first-team All-ACC a season ago. If Dent can be this guy -- one who makes plays and lives up to that five-star billing coming out of high school -- then the Seminoles will have themselves a formidable safety duo.

Defensive coordinator Adam Fuller said Dent has taken his game to a new level because of that improved comfort level at the safety position. And he's also a very fast learner.

"Once you tell him what to do, he's very good at doing it," Fuller said. "I think he's getting the reps. Those things are filling up for him and he's stockpiling those reps at that spot, and I think it's making a difference for him.

"Because I do think at his best, he's a multi-tool player. He can tackle, he can cover, he can make plays on the ball, he can blitz. I think he can do a lot of things."

In 2020, after a solid freshman year rotating between slot corner and safety, Dent moved to cornerback and became almost an afterthought for the Seminoles' secondary. He started five games, but by the end of the season was barely playing. He finished with 13 tackles.

He was then moved back to safety for 2021. And the position-change has rejuvenated his career.

Dent finished with 44 tackles last year, making eight starts for the Seminoles. And he's been even better this spring, not only becoming a dependable veteran on the back end, but flashing some of that game-changing potential that had him ranked as one of the top defensive backs in the nation coming out of high school.

"Akeem is playing really good ball," FSU head coach Mike Norvell said after Tuesday's practice. "He had a couple of great plays again today. It's that consistency and confidence that has to show up, whether it's in communication or the anticipation of what's about to occur.

"I mean, you look at what he did in the scrimmage. He's a playmaker. And he's playing as confident as he's ever been here at Florida State, and it's exciting to see that growth."

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