Terrance Knighton could have stood up at the podium, fielded the first question and began his first interview in Tallahassee. But for the first time in more than 30 years, someone besides Odell Haggins would be coaching Florida State’s defensive tackles.

Knighton smartly used the opportunity to open with gratitude for not just being at FSU but also to share his appreciation for Haggins.

“I’m walking in the shadow of a giant, Coach Odell,” Knighton said. “Rightfully so. Great man. One of the Mount Rushmore of D-line coaches. I just wanted to say to him and his family, thank you so much for this opportunity. I’m looking forward to working with him.”

Knighton could have discussed his time in Jacksonville, Denver and Washington, how his NFL experience has translated at the college level as a coach. And he eventually did, discussing the back story of his "Pot Roast" nickname that was earned because of what he ordered on a team flight as a rookie with the Jaguars.

But it was important for him to first give praise to Haggins for how he developed young men.

“He’s produced so many pros, produced so many great young men,” Knighton said. “That’s what college football is about. It’s not always about going to the NFL. It’s about doing the best you can for the young men. I want to go out there and continue that tradition of producing great defensive linemen here and producing great young men. I’m excited to do it.”

Knighton was speaking with the media a day after Darrell Jackson withdrew his name from the NFL Draft, saying "guys like that are one in a million." The defensive line was just beginning to take shape, with end James Williams following his assistant coaches (defensive coordinator Tony White and Knighton) to FSU. Another end, Western Kentucky’s Deante McCray, also has landed in Tallahassee. The work is likely not over as the Seminoles still need to add depth up front.

In the 2024 season, FSU’s effort up front was often questioned by fans and media. What does Knighton look for in the personality of defensive linemen?

“For me it all starts with a mentality: Attacking, attitude, mindset,” Knighton said. “A big-dog mindset. I want tough guys. I want guys that go out and compete. But it all starts with a mentality. If you have the mentality that you’re going to attack each day as hard as you can, that you’re coming out there with an attitude — whenever you’re talking about a team and building a successful team it all starts in the trenches.

"I firmly believe it starts with the D-line, they set the attitude for the team. They set the standard for how things are going to go, how we practice, how we carry ourselves in the community, how we carry ourselves academically.”

One of the big questions is how much of a transition it takes for the Seminoles to adapt from a 4-2-5 to the 3-3-5. But it should also be noted White used an extensive amount of four-man fronts last fall at Nebraska to give opposing offenses various looks.

“The beauty of it with how Tony calls it is you don't have to change personnel,” Knighton said. “You don't have to change the way you play up front. The call dictates what type of front we’re in, how many DBs we have in, where guys are lined up. So that's the toughest thing about going against Tony's defenses. We don't have to change personnel, but we can change how we line up, where guys line up, but the playing style up front, we're going to be attacking, we're going to be vertical, we're going to be in the backfield, and we're going to stop the run on the way to the way to the quarterback.”

FSU’s defensive line room is going through a major transformation. Gone are ends like Marvin Jones Jr., Patrick Payton, Byron Turner Jr. and Lamont Green Jr. Gone are tackles like Grady Kelly and Tomiwa Durojaiye to the portal, while Joshua Farmer has entered the NFL Draft early. While the room needed to be rebuilt, that’s a significant amount of depth.

FSU has just a few returning linemen with experience in Jackson, KJ Sampson, Daniel Lyons and Aaron Hester. The Seminoles will also add one of the nation’s top freshmen defensive tackles in Kevin Wynn as well as junior college standout Tyeland Coleman. And they made a late push to land defensive ends Tylon Lee and LaJesse Harrold as well as Mandrell Desir and Darryll Desir.

“I look forward to coaching these guys, and Coach Odell has done a great job of recruiting,” Knighton said. “And we got a lot of good, young guys with a lot of talent that I look forward to coaching and continuing to develop.”

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