Florida State defensive coaches Odell Haggins, Randy Shannon, Patrick Surtain and John Papuchis spoke with the media after Monday's 15th and final practice of the spring.

Defensive tackles coach Odell Haggins

(Overall thoughts on the spring) We worked hard. I wanted to come out this spring with the defensive tackles and make sure they are fundamentally sound, they’re doing the things they’re supposed to be doing, for example, playing low and using their hands. Playing hard. That’s one thing I really, really focus on is playing low pads and playing fundamentals are so important at that position.

(Darrell Jackson’s first spring) Darrell is going to be a really, really good football player. He’s a kid that he’ll work hard. Different things, different techniques, you teach him. He’s out on the field, running around, learning different things, learning a new defense. He’s doing a really good job.

(How the approach was when there were so many returning DTs) The thing about it is you don’t go in saying, ‘You got this guy back, that guy back.’ You start from zero. You’re working on the fundamentals. You’re trying to make them get better at something in that game and make them fundamentally sound. For example, learning the offense, where is the tight end, where is the back, different formations. You always want to push them to another level. That grit and grind.

(DT depth, how many do you feel confident?) I feel confident with a lot of the guys out there. All of them are big, strong and can run.

(Josh Farmer, what he learned on the fly in 2022) I’ve seen Josh Farmer grow a lot as a young man. He is becoming the player that we all want him to be. Every-down player. Could play first, second and third down. I’ve seen him grow a lot. We’re excited the growth he has had.

(Daniel Lyons in year 2) Daniel came in last January. Daniel has grown a lot. He has gotten bigger, stronger, he’s learning the technique. He’s only 19 years old. I feel confident in what Daniel can do.

(Ayobami Tifase’s development) He’s shown me he’s strong. He can run, knock people back. But we got to work on his fundamentals.

Defensive backs coach Patrick Surtain

(Importance of turnovers, how did you see that manifest this spring?) "I think it went pretty well. That's something that I wanted to accomplish this spring. You saw guys were going after the ball, punching the ball out. I told them, 'If you win the turnover battle, you win 85 to 90% of your games.' That was a big emphasis this spring and I think for the most part, the guys did pretty well."

(How do you make turnovers a point of emphasis?) "I think it starts with just the simple things: assignment, alignment. Most of the time, plays are going to come to you. If you're trying to do much, you get out of position, that's when bad things happen. I was just trying to harp to the guys, 'Just do your job. We have enough talent on this team where everybody can eat. Especially with that front seven that we have, it's going to make our job a lot easier on the back end.'"

(Renardo Green, was his spring as good as it looked to us?) "He came into spring with a great mindset, a mindset to get better. He wanted to face Johnny (Wilson) every day in practice. Now, I think those guys made each other better. He got better technically, got a lot of balls out. He's always been a really, really good tackler. He understands the game, he has a lot of good football under his belt. This upcoming season, he wants to take his game to the next level. He's done that on the field, in the meeting rooms, in the classroom."

(Guys competing at other corner spot like AZ, Fentrell, Greedy) "You mentioned a lot of guys who I thought played some good football. Jarrian Jones also had a really good camp. Greedy (Vance), Fentrell (Cypress), AZ (Azareye'h Thomas), they're going to make my job hard because you've got a lot of guys who can start on this team. It's going to be up to me to try to get those guys in, but it's also going to be up to them to create competition amongst themselves. I think they've done that for the most part. I'm excited to see what this summer and fall practice bring because there are going to be some position battles, but as a position coach, you kind of welcome that because you feel that you can run 10 or 11 guys on the field and there won't be a drop-off. We're looking to get some depth because it's a war of attrition during the year, a lot of guys get hurt so you've got to have as many players ready to play as possible."

(What does Azareye'h need to do to take that next step in his growth?) "Just the physicality. He's a very talented kid, he's smart, he's a guy who is about his business, he does the right things on and off the field. It's just a matter of him staying healthy, getting stronger and going out there and playing. Not getting down on himself after a bad play. I think he's shown that for the most part."

(Quindarrius Jones' instant impact as a true freshman early enrollee) "Kid has some moxie. He's a playmaker. For a guy that big and that fast to come in as a true freshman and play the way he has this spring, it's brighter days ahead. Obviously, the high school game and the college game are different so he has to learn some nuances of the defense. That's going to come. But just raw ability and playmaking ability, he's the real deal. I'm looking forward to what he's going to be these next couple years."

(Safety position depth, who needs to develop more?) "Akeem Dent, who has played a lot of ball here, Shyheim Brown, Duke (Omarion) Cooper, who has moved from corner to safety. He did well. I know he had playing corner in his background, but the kid is real coachable. He's a really, really good football player and a player who I think can help us at multiple positions. He didn't cry about it. He took it like a man, he took it in stride. It was anything to help the team. He's going to play some valuable football for us this year. Those three guys, then you also have Travis Jay when he gets back from injury. He was playing really well. The freshman, KJ Kirkland, who is another really good football player. Then you have guys, Conrad (Hussey) and (Edwin Joseph) coming in who can provide some depth to that unit. We have guys on top of guys, but we've got to get everybody ready because like I said, it's a long season, injuries do happen. We'll see where we are."

Defensive ends coach John Papuchis

(Development in spring) Everybody is in a little different place in terms of their career or their individual journey. But I did think to a man that the guys that were healthy to compete in the spring, every single one of them got better. And that’s the objective. That is the objective of our program on a daily basis is that continual improvement. And I did think that the defensive end group in and of itself made incremental progress through the course of spring. Each one of those guys got better, whether you’re talking about Jared and Pat, who obviously we’re counting on to play significant reps or young guys that just got here in the program. I was pleased with our progression as we went through the spring.

(Byron Turner Jr) I thought it was critical for him for a variety of different reasons. Since he’s been here he hasn’t had the sustained reps. Having that opportunity presented itself this spring. And him taking advantage of it was critical. And I thought he did get better throughout the course of spring. It showed up in the showcase the other day. I thought he did a really nice job.

(Do you want four defensive ends that you can count on going into the fall) For me, in a perfect world, you want the five. Really because you’re going to have a two-deep rotation but you want that fifth utility guy because you’re one play away. I never want it to be so thin where you’re at four and one thing happens and you don’t have a full two-deep rotation. We’re still in the process of determining who that’s going to be and letting that competition play out.

(Gilber Edmond's first spring) Gilber got more confident as the spring went on. Each guy who has transferred in, and we’ve had a lot of experience with that, has had a little bit different transition. Jermaine, from day 1, was kind of that alpha personality. Jumped right up front, took a leadership role. But really probably on that team he had to do that. Jared was very similar in the sense that he was outspoken and loud when he came in, but that team did have a little more veteran to it so he wasn’t a leader right off the bat. I think Gilber walked in and saw, ‘Man, this is a group that has some experience.’ And I think early on he was trying to figure out how exactly he fit in the big picture equation. As he got more confident and as he got more comfortable, I saw him play faster throughout the course of the spring. I really just think his best ball is ahead of him.

(Jared Verse’s development on and off the field) That was one of the things I’ve been most pleased about. It’s easy to see his progression on the field. He improved as a player. But where I thought he made his most growth was in the meeting rooms. He has a much better understanding of the position. When you do have that confidence, that you understand, your willingness to help others and to be thrust into that role that is a leadership role, just becomes part of what he is trying to leave a legacy of here. Much like the guys that came before him. And I did see that leadership piece come out in him. One of the guys I know he has directly taken other his wings is Boots, Lamont Green. Jared sees a little of Boots in him from the standpoint that he was a smaller guy but really athletic coming in and Jared went through that as a young player. Now he’s trying to help other guys in the same situation.

(Jaden Jones' progress has his timeline back for August camp) His athleticism and his understanding of what we do is there. That won’t be the question. The question will be more of the application of the scheme. and then the physicality at this level is a little bit different. There will be a transition period for him but I fully expect him to be one of the guys competing to be in that top 5 group.

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