FSU Linebacker Tatum Bethune and Defensive Back Renardo Green Talk Summer, Upcoming Season

Florida State linebacker Tatum Bethune and defensive back Renardo Green met with the media on Thursday ahead of the annual 2024 ACC Kickoff on August 24. The two Seminoles are a part of the seventh-ranked defense entering 2023, according to ESPN, and look to exceed their 10-3 (5-3 ACC) record hoping for a CFP berth.

Green played in all 13 games while starting 12 last year and totaled 58 tackles. He was FSU's most improved defensive player and attributed the success to being able to play at full strength.

"Just the aspect of being healthy. Last season was the first season since I've been here that I've actually, I've been able to be healthy through the whole season, and then as a team, we always work hard, so that's nothing new," Green said on his improvement. "Norvell pushes us to the limit, and we embrace it, so the work is just going to speak for itself."

The Seminoles will be without their leading tackler heading into 2023 as safety Jammie Robinson now suits up for the Carolina Panthers. Bethune said that the team is compensating for the loss through practice and preparation and feels confident that they still have the players able to succeed defensively. 

"Losing Jammie, you know, he was a good player, he was all around the field, but I feel like the preparation we made throughout the summer and also the experience that guys like Shyheim Brown, coming in like Conrad (Hussey), safeties like that, me learning fast, and I feel like it's not going to be a dropoff at all," Bethune said. "Because, you know, Shyheim is smart. Akeem Dent, we still got guys back there that are holding it down, so I feel like we'll be real comfortable back there."

There has been a large amount of preseason hype surrounding the 'Noles heading into the upcoming season and the spotlight has largely been on whether or not they'll be able to win the ACC or potentially a National Championship. The two said that the team is only focusing on themselves.

RG: "Everything in house is like based off of our expectations and how we work. Even when things weren't always the best, we've always had our expectations and went about our business the same way we always do, so I mean, it's good to hear, or it will make you feel good, but at the end of the day, we still gotta go out there and compete every Saturday," Green added. "We still gotta go do what we gotta do to be the best version of us."

TB: "Yeah, like Renardo said, we feel like we all just gotta put the work in. We're receiving a lot of accolades and stuff like that. I just feel like it could be a blessing and a cursing cause, a curse because, you know, sometimes it could get in people's heads, and they might overthink it and not realize what we still got at hand," said Bethune. "So the real thing is just staying focused."

While the offense is getting most of the attention, there could be some holes to fill at linebacker. Bethune said he feels confident that the younger guys will catch on fast and highlighted redshirt freshman Omar Graham Jr., as a player to watch out for.

"We had a lot of young guys coming in, and we also have Omar Graham, which I think is gonna be amazing. A lot of people ain't seen him do a lot of things yet, but I feel like he's gonna have a huge impact in the linebacker room.," Bethune added. "Then we got Blake (Nichelson) and Dylan (Brown-Turner) and all those guys coming in, and they catching on quick, so I just feel like once we get that experience and then fall camp rolls in, they get to see how everything runs and they see how me, Delo (Kalen DeLoach), and (DJ) Lundy, and they see how we do it, and we all just capitalize off each other."

Bethune amassed 84 tackles with nine and a half for a loss and three sacks in 2022 in the 13 games he played. He admitted that he was injured for a lot of those games but pushed his way through the pain for his team.

 "I'm not gonna lie, I played banged up. I don't want to spread too much information about that. It was upper body and lower body, so it's just I stayed strong through it all. I knew I could still play, so I still did it to help the team out. That's all that mattered for me, putting the team before me. That's really it. Like the injuries will come later, I'll handle that."

Florida State is nearing the beginning of fall camp and plenty of new faces are in the locker room. Green said that he feels the defense compliments each other and that they all share support, even with the new guys.

 "We all complement each other. We all work as one. We work together. We learn how to come together as one as brothers, and that's what you need back there," Green said. "We all gotta be on the same board, and throughout the summer, since everybody came, even guys like Fentrell (Cypress), he was one of the earliest ones to come for the early summer enrollees and all that, but we all got a relationship with each other because we all love ball and we all want to win, and we all just want to see each other be the best version ever every day. No matter if that's practice or real life, we come together, so everything's been good. We're working still."

Continuing on the theme of outside noise, the pair said that head coach Mike Norvell's message is to ignore the hype and focus on the work. They both know what it is going to take to win.

TB: "Our conversations with coach Norvell when we're in team meetings and stuff is really not about the, I don't know how to explain it, it's not about what's on the outside right now. We all been focused on the work in the summer, so that's really it. We don't really focus on too much of the outside.".

RG: To pick up on what Tatum said, he does a good job of making everything about us. It don't ever matter about like what anybody else does. If we do what we supposed to, we good, so that's what we focus on. We don't look towards the next team, the next person, you know, we just focus on in-house, and we just do what we do here.

With all the hype and expectations this year, the two said they're excited for what is in store but that they're working hard for when the opportunity comes.

RG: I can't wait personally, but I'm still preparing, and we're still preparing as a team day by day, but of course, we want to play somebody else. We wanna go put our pads on somebody else, but that's part of football. That's why you play football, that's why you play football, to go out and compete. We don't just want to play the same team and just be bored, no. We ready to go play, and we're still working towards that, so when the opportunity do come, we ready."

TB: to capitalize on what Renardo said, this offseason felt like forever for us. We're excited for camp. A lot of teams don't really get excited for that, but that's all we talk about is just how we gonna go out there and compete. We got a lot of big compete guys on offense and defense, and I feel like it's going to be exciting. 

To continue the theme of constant improvement that Norvell preaches, Both players expressed the need to be better, while Bethune said he wanted to be dominant. 

TB: My goal this season is to be dominant. Just take over the whole field. I'm still going to do my job, and in the offseason, that's what I've been working on. What else I've been working on is more of my hands. Using my hands to get off blocks. I watched film of myself and I caught myself a lot of times just getting caught up in traffic that I didn't need to be in if I had used my hands, so just that and, like I said, just being dominant.

RG: "I feel like I had a decent season, but I know that there were a lot more plays left out there and a lot more things that can be done. I expect to go above and beyond, and that's what I'm pushing for, and that's what we're pushing for as a team. If everybody does what they're supposed to do, takes care of their responsibility, the sky is the limit for us as a team."

FSU will open the season on September 3 inside Orlando, Florida's Camping World Stadium against the LSU Tigers. The two teams faced off a season ago in New Orleans, Louisiana, and the 'Noles returned to Tallahassee, Florida, with a 24-23 victory. Both Bethune and Green said that it's just another game on the roster and that they're preparing hard for the rematch.

TB: "I wouldn't say it changed things. We're excited to play anybody, no matter whether it's a low school or a big school. So, our preparation is just we know what we got at hand, and we know who we gonna face. LSU is a good team. They got a lot of guys coming back, so do we, so we just gotta be prepared for it."

RG: Me, personally, it's just another game. I don't focus on all the outside factors because a lot of people's opinions really don't matter. All I think about is what we're doing in between the white lines and trying to come out victorious. I mean, it's cool and all, but I played there my whole life. I've been playing football since I was five. Like, we just played Oklahoma there, so it's cool and all, but it's not something that's like mind-blowing.

During the offseason Florida State hired defensive backs coach Patrick Surtain, Sr. who was previously coaching the Miami Dolphins. Green said that he feels Surtain was a great addition to the staff and that he wants to learn as much as he can.

"His name, you know, coach Suratin, Pat Surtain, it speaks for itself. We learn a lot from him. He was once in our shoes, so it's just a great opportunity to learn and to grow. He teaches us and coaches us in a way like we get the terms and we understand, but you know, he instills discipline and things inside of us. We're happy to have him. It couldn't be a better addition to have him come in."