Story byJason JonesSat, December 6, 2025 at 2:33 AM UTC·4 min readWhy one Florida State firing could provide Deion Sanders with a rare opportunity originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here. On Friday, Sports Illustrated confirmed the news that Florida State fired former NFL defensive back Pat Surtain Sr., who had served as the team’s defensive backs coach. Surtain was in that position for three seasons. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementEarly in his FSU tenure, Surtain saw highs in pass defensive rank early, which faded in the last two seasons.