He is Mike Norvell's newest assistant coach, but Marcus Woodson needed no introduction to Florida State football.

As a star high school defensive back during the 1990s, Woodson was very much aware that FSU was synonymous with elite DB play. He also was friends with wide receiver Kez McCorvey, who attended his rival high school and went on to enjoy an All-America career with the Seminoles.

So when Norvell and defensive coordinator Adam Fuller offered him the opportunity last month to join FSU's staff -- even though he already had a great job at Auburn -- it wasn't exactly a tough sell.

"For me, this is a dream come true -- to be coaching the defensive backs at Florida State University," Woodson said. "This is the school I dreamed of playing at as a kid. I joke because I wasn't good enough to play here. They didn't recruit me -- I ended up going to Ole Miss. But when Coach Norvell gave me the opportunity to come, before we hung up the phone, I was almost halfway to Tallahassee."

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Florida State's defensive back play hasn't quite lived up to that standard in recent years.

While Jalen Ramsey and Derwin James are two of the top young defensive backs in the NFL -- and there are several other Seminole DBs still playing in that league -- the Florida State pass defense was one of the worst in the country during the 2018 and 2019 seasons.

The Seminoles surrendered a staggering 276.1 passing yards per game last season, and 268.7 the year before.

Woodson is well aware of that history as well. And fixing those issues is one of the primary reasons he's excited about his new position.

"This is the original DBU," Woodson said of Florida State. "There's a couple of universities out there claiming to be DBU, but this is where it originated. And we're gonna get that title back here at Florida State."

That determination served Woodson well as a player, and FSU's other coaches say it's one of the reasons they're so excited to have him as part of this staff. When it comes to both recruiting and coaching, they say his intensity and work ethic leads to deep connections with players and others inside the program.

"Passion and relationships," said FSU offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham, who worked with Woodson on Norvell's Memphis staff in 2016-17. "He is as passionate as it gets about football. He's as passionate as it gets about his players. And his players have a relationship with him. His players reach out to him after he leaves a school. He's a person that people are drawn to."