Florida State officially hires Evan Cooper as new safeties coach

Florida State head coach Mike Norvell is continuing to fill out his staff. Norvell has announced that Evan Cooper has been hired as the safeties coach for the Seminoles.

Cooper is joining new Florida State defensive coordinator Tony White in Tallahassee after the two coached together at Nebraska in 2023 and 2024.

“I’m happy to have Evan Cooper joining our Nole Family,” Mike Norvell said in a statement. “It’s great to have another Dade County native back working in his home state. Our safeties will benefit from his experience and expertise, and he will be a tremendous collaborator with Tony White, Patrick Surtain, and the rest of our defensive staff to reestablish the dominant defense Florida State is known for. I’m incredibly excited for the future here at Florida State.”

Evan Cooper has plenty of experience at the college and NFL level. Prior to spending the past two seasons at Nebraska, he was the cornerbacks coach and director of player evaluation for the Carolina Panthers from 2020-2022. He has also previously coached at Baylor, Temple and Miami.

Evan Cooper played college football at Temple from 2005-08, finishing his career with 113 tackles.

“I’m excited to join the Florida State football program,” Evan Cooper said in a statement. “FSU has an elite history among the best programs in college football, and I’m looking forward to working with Coach Norvell and the rest of the staff. I can’t wait to get started with our players and contribute to upholding the DBU legacy.”

Mike Norvell is revamping the Florida State staff this offseason after the Seminoles struggled to a 2-10 record in 2024.

FSU was considered one of the favorites in the ACC heading into the year, but Norvell’s team finished with only one win against an FBS team this season.

There was talk that Norvell could be on the hot seat with the way the season unfolded. Instead, he is rebuilding his staff and Evan Cooper is a part of that staff turnover.