FSU Football Defensive Coordinator Appears On ESPN Analyst's Top Coaches List

Despite Kirk Herbstreit's history with Florida State, he still chose Adam Fuller to his 'Top Performing Coaches' list for Week 4.

Sep 1, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Kirk Herbstreit attends the game between the LSU Tigers and the Southern California Trojans at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

While Florida State football fans have not been kind to ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit since the College Football Playoff (CFP) snub, that hasn’t stopped him from praising FSU defensive coordinator Adam Fuller.

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Herbstreit released his list of seven top-performing coaches for Week 4, with Fuller taking the fifth spot behind BYU’s Kalani Sitake, Illinois’ Bret Bielema, Tennessee’s Josh Heupel, and Michigan’s Sherrone Moore, respectively.

Of the seven-person list, Fuller was the highest-ranked coordinator, with Utah defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley taking the seventh spot.

Here are my top performing coaches of WEEK 4:

Sherrone Moore @UMichFootball
Josh Heupel @Vol_Football
Bret Bielema @IlliniFootball
Kalani Sitake @BYUfootball
Adam Fuller DC @FSUFootball
Rhett Lashlee SMU @SMUFB
Morgan Scalley DC @Utah_Football pic.twitter.com/JKuNlno88V

— Kirk Herbstreit (@KirkHerbstreit) September 24, 2024

Why was Fuller selected for this list?

Well, the Seminoles’ defense did not allow a touchdown and only three second-half points as FSU snagged their first win of the season over the California Golden Bears by a score of 14-9. This was a major win for Fuller and his squad, as the ’Noles have been in the bottom tier of major statistical categories such as third-down defense and run defense.

During the Cal game, however, the Golden Bears were just 5-15 on third downs and rushed for 107 yards – a slight uptick in yards allowed following the Memphis game, but significantly improved from the Georgia Tech and Boston College game (190 and 263 yards allowed, respectively).

Moreover, the Florida State defense recorded seven sacks, more than half of their total for the season (13).

While the defense has looked suspect at times, the offense simply has not helped Fuller. 21, 13, 12, and 14 points are not going to get the job done in the high-scoring game that college football has become.

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