Florida
FSU hires Evan Cooper as safeties coach
Florida State has hired NFL and college coaching veteran Evan Cooper as the football program’s safeties coach, FSU head coach Mike Norvell announced Saturday.
Cooper, a Miami native who attended American Heritage, brings more than a decade of coaching experience and reunites with FSU defensive coordinator Tony White, who he was with at Nebraska in 2023, and defensive line coach Terrance Knighton, his college teammate and fellow coach with the Carolina Panthers and at Nebraska.
“I’m happy to have Evan Cooper joining our Nole Family,” Norvell said. “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.”
The 2023 Nebraska defense, with Cooper serving as the defensive passing game coordinator and secondary coach, produced four All-Big Ten defensive backs. The quartet was led by Tommi Hill, whose 13 passes defended were the most in the conference. Hill also ranked third in the Big Ten with nine pass breakups while posting the conference’s fifth-highest individual interceptions total.
The Huskers held opponents to only 6.1 yards per pass attempt, ninth-lowest in the country, and had the nation’s 15th-best passing efficiency defense. Nebraska kept seven of 12 opponents to less than 200 passing yards, including two under 100 yards. The Huskers allowed only 92.9 rushing yards per game, the No. 8 rushing defense in the country and the best at Nebraska this century, while also ranking 11th nationally in total defense and 13th in scoring defense. Hill led the team with 85 tackles and fellow defensive back Omar Brown tied for second among Huskers with 51 tackles.
“I’m excited to join the Florida State football program,” Cooper said. “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.”
Cooper was the Carolina Panthers’ cornerbacks coach and director of player evaluation from 2020-22. In 2021, Carolina had the NFL’s No. 2 total defense, allowing 305.9 yards per game. Cooper’s cornerbacks contributed to the league’s No. 4 pass defense, holding opponents to only 192.1 passing yards per game, and the fifth-lowest completions allowed total in the NFL.
Cooper spent three seasons at Baylor and helped lead a major transformation in the program that resulted in a trip to the Sugar Bowl in his last year in Waco. He spent the 2017 season as the Bears’ director of player personnel before joining the on-field staff working with the secondary and defensive line in 2018. In 2019, he was promoted to cornerbacks coach and recruiting coordinator and helped the Bears post an 11-3 record with an appearance in the Big 12 Championship Game and Sugar Bowl. That year, Baylor’s 17 interceptions ranked fifth in the country and contributed to a group that ranked 18th nationally in pass efficiency defense and 19th in scoring defense.
After a brief stint as the assistant director of player personnel at Miami early in 2015, Cooper was hired as Temple’s director of player personnel. He served in that role in 2015 and 2016, helping the Owls reach 10 wins both years and qualify for bowl games in consecutive seasons for the first time in program history. The 2016 team also won the AAC, Temple’s first conference title in 48 years, by defeating No. 19 Navy in the conference championship game.
Cooper began his coaching career as the defensive backs coach for Westminster Academy in Fort Lauderdale for the 2011 and 2012 seasons. He then accepted a graduate assistant position at Temple in 2013 and moved to the role of director of external operations for the Owls in 2014.
Cooper was a four-year letterman at defensive back for Temple and earned his bachelor’s degree in sport and recreational management from Temple in 2009. He and his wife, Andisha, have one son, Evan III, and one daughter, Madison.
Evan Cooper Coaching History
2025- Florida State Safeties Coach
2023 Nebraska Defensive Passing Game Coordinator/Secondary Coach
2020-22 Carolina Panthers Cornerbacks Coach/Director of Player Evaluation
2019 Baylor Cornerbacks Coach/Recruiting Coordinator
2018 Baylor Secondary/Defensive Line Coach
2017 Baylor Director of Player Personnel
2015-16 Temple Director of Player Personnel
2014 Temple Director of External Operations
2013 Temple Graduate Assistant
2011-12 Westminster Academy (Fla.) Defensive Backs Coach
From Boston to now Miami, the Tartan Army has been marching through the streets of South Florida preparing for the Scotland v. Brazil World Cup game at 6 p.m. Known for their crowd-drawing shenanigans, the term “Tartan Army” has been trending on people’s For You Page, but who are they exactly?
The term “Tartan Army” is a nickname for Scotland’s fan base who support the country’s national team. The concept of “Tartan” comes from the iconic fabric design on kilts and is recognized as a symbol of Scottish identity.
The army gained attention for their rowdy team spirit, but also because some bars in Boston ran out of beer as the city hosted Scotland’s first two games. Now they have arrived in Miami and have been making their presence known.
On Monday, around 8,000 army followers marched from a bar called Ball and Chain to the Marlins’ game, making their presence known throughout South Florida.
Then on Tuesday, the Scotland fans invaded Miami Beach as the beer company Miller Lite presented the fans with a tartan beer barge that read “Restock the Scots.”
With the game against Brazil set for later tonight, the Tartan Army will now flood Miami Stadium with beer, bagpipes and kilts.
The number of fatalities because of Brightline train collisions since 2017 unofficially stands at about 214, including 17 in 2026. The company says that is down 30% compared to 2025.
Nearly halfway through 2026, high-speed Brightline trains in Florida have now been involved in over 200 deaths since 2017, even as the company stresses its ongoing safety improvements.
The number of fatalities because of Brightline train collisions since 2017 unofficially stands at about 214, including 17 in 2026 according to media reports, law firms and third-party observers. The company says incidents, which include any contact a train has with another object, have dropped 30% compared with the same time last year.
The company also said it is in the midst of implementing a series of safety improvements using a $45 million federal grant, plus $10 million from Brightline itself. These include fencing, warning and suicide prevention signs and other installations at 327 crossings from Miami to Cocoa.
“These enhancements to the corridor, combined with our education and enforcement efforts, reflect our commitment to continually prioritizing safety and preventing avoidable incidents,” said Brightline Florida CEO Patrick Goddard in a news release.
It’s been well-established that privately owned Brightline, which runs from Miami to Orlando, has the highest death rate per mile traveled of any railroad in the U.S. As of 2025, that figure was 25 deaths per million miles, or about one person every 13 days.
In comparison, that per-mile number is three times higher than Tri-Rail (8.12 deaths per millions miles) and SunRail (8.04) and nearly six times higher than Amtrak (4.20), according to the Florida-based Meldon Law firm.
Where do most Brightline accidents happen in Florida?
In densely populated South Florida, the trains run at speeds of 79 mph or above, with a top speed of about 125 mph in open areas. The vast majority of fatalities occur in the stretch between Miami and West Palm Beach.
Some are suicides. Some are people in vehicles or on bicycles trying to beat the trains or stuck at a crossing. Others are people simply walking on the tracks, apparently unaware a speeding train approaches.
In two recent incidents, a 68-year-old bicyclist was killed May 26 after he was struck by a Brightline train in Stuart. On May 24, two people died when their car was hit by a train in West Palm Beach even though the crossing gate arms were down.
In urban Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties the trains run at grade level, meaning no elevation above the ground. There are also numerous “quiet zones” along the route where the trains do not sound their horns to avoid disturbing residents and businesses.
Where are the least amount of fatal Brightline train accidents in Florida?
The route from Cocoa to Orlando goes through a more rural area, with fewer crossings and 6-foot fencing along the tracks. In 27 months since that section opened, no fatal accidents have been recorded, according to an Orlando Sentinel analysis.
In the long term, Brightline hopes to connect Orlando with the Tampa Bay area. The timing for that proposed extension is uncertain.
What is Brightline’s financial situation?
As deaths continue to mount, so does debt.
The rail line lost more than $233 million in 2025 despite higher revenues than 2024, according to its annual financial statement, prepared by consulting firm Ernst & Young and released April 30.
“Substantial doubt exists about the company’s ability to continue as a going concern,” the firm wrote. Brightline acknowledged it lacks the money to pay off more than $5 billion in debt and interest on schedule.
At the same time, Brightline passengers’ average fares fell during first three months of this year compared to the first quarter of 2025, another company report shows, and its trains carried a quarterly record of more than 900,000 passengers.
Credit-rating agencies have said the company needs either much higher fares or ridership to stay solvent.
The Miami-to-Orlando train company made $214 million in 2025, an increase from about $188 million in 2024, the audit shows.
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer Chris Persaud contributed to this report.
Curt Anderson is the Policy and Politics Reporter for The USA TODAY NETWORK-FLORIDA. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday day by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY at https://tallahassee.com/newsletters.
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