Florida State sophomore Stanford Samuels III was seen taking some snaps at safety, just as he did in spring practice. We received many questions about this Monday, since many fans figured he would start at cornerback exclusively, so I figured an explanation was worthwhile.
The explanation starts with understanding the role of the star position in FSU’s defense. Under the old defensive systems FSU ran under Charles Kelly and Jeremy Pruitt (Nick Saban’s design), the “star” position was typically a safety/cornerback hybrid player.
In FSU’s new defense, the Mark Dantonio/Pat Narduzzi/Harlon Barnett Michigan State base Cover 4, the “star” position is also a hybrid, but it is a hybrid of safety/linebacker, as opposed to corner/safety.