Florida State’s secondary is shaping up as one of the most fascinating parts of fall camp, and the spotlight starts with Tony White’s trio of transfer safeties.
With practice set to open next Wednesday, Mike Norvell is still trying to steer the Seminoles out of back-to-back losing seasons. On defense, though, White has already given this group a clear identity. His scheme leans on three-safety looks, which means the back end has to be filled with players who can do a little bit of everything - handle the run, cover the pass and move around without missing a beat.
At the heart of it all is Ashlynd Barker. The redshirt senior is expected to handle the Rover role after playing boundary safety a year ago, and offseason intel points to him being ready for that jump. In White’s setup, Barker is supposed to be the player who erases crossers between the hashes and flies downhill to help finish run plays.
The real competition, though, sits around him. The boundary and field safety spots appear to be headed toward a pair of transfers, with returner KJ Kirkland looking like he may have to play catch-up. That makes the next few weeks especially important, because it’s not just about who wins the jobs - it’s about who gets comfortable fastest in a defense that demands a lot from its safeties.
One of the newcomers is Notre Dame transfer Karson Hobbs. He arrives as a lanky defensive back who was a three-star cornerback out of Archbishop Moeller HS in Ohio. Last season, he spent most of his time in the slot and was used sparingly as a reserve over two years with the Fighting Irish.
The other two additions are Duke’s Ma'Khi Jones and Illinois State’s CJ Richard Jr., and both are projected to start next to Barker.
Jones didn’t crack the starting lineup for Duke, but he was hardly a bit player. He appeared in all 14 games for the ACC champs and logged more than 300 snaps.
At 5-foot-11 and 195 pounds, he brings the kind of quickness that lets him cover ground in a hurry, but his biggest selling point for Florida State may be how many different roles he can handle. Last season, 43 percent of his snaps came as a deep safety, while 22 percent came in the box and 28 percent came as a slot defender.
That kind of flexibility fits perfectly in White’s defense, especially with Florida State trying to build on a secondary that finished top-30 in passing yards allowed per game last season.
Richard is expected to take over Barker’s old boundary spot and bring a downhill style to it. He has a reputation for finding the football and attacking ballcarriers near the line of scrimmage. Last season at Illinois State, he missed just one tackle, which was the best rate among FCS safeties who played at least 250 snaps in 2025.
The jump in competition will be real for Richard, but the program clearly believes it found something in the portal.
How Jones and Richard fit into the back side of White’s defense will be one of the biggest storylines of camp. Missed assignments hurt Florida State at times last season, opening the door for big plays and keeping the Seminoles from getting off the field on third downs.
That’s why the coming weeks matter so much. In a system that asks this much of its safeties, Jones and Richard will need to get comfortable quickly alongside Barker if this defense is going to function the way White wants.
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