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UCF transfer Tatum Bethune brings experience, leadership to Florida State linebacker room

curt weiler, tallahassee democrat
·5 min read

It took Tatum Bethune a bit of time to wrap his head around the possibility of playing football at Florida State.

Growing up in the middle of Miami Hurricanes country and playing high school football at Miami Central, Bethune says he was raised to dislike all things FSU.

But when Bethune entered the transfer portal after three seasons at UCF, and FSU expressed interest, the temptation to join the Seminoles proved to be too much to resist despite his upbringing.

He committed to FSU over the Hurricanes and Auburn on Jan. 4, enrolling in Tallahassee not long after announcing his decision.

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"It was pretty hard to decide whether I wanted to stay home, but I realized I've grinded all my life not just to play at home. I wanted to leave and experience some new things and see new things, be able to make decisions on my own..." Bethune said during his introductory press conference Tuesday.

"When I entered the portal, I chose FSU because I see what this program is going to, I see what Coach (Mike) Norvell is building, and that is just something I wanted to be a part of."

Both FSU and Miami were new options for Bethune as neither school offered him when he was a three-star recruit, the No. 1,370 overall player and No. 101 outside linebacker in the 2019 class.

Bethune held offers from Auburn, Boston College and a few Group of Five programs coming out of high school, but he chose to stay in-state and sign with UCF.

Part of this decision came down to the opportunity for Bethune to play for Randy Shannon, who was UCF's defensive coordinator/linebackers coach from 2018 through 2020.

In his third and final season at UCF last year, Tatum Bethune led the Knights with 108 total tackles.
In his third and final season at UCF last year, Tatum Bethune led the Knights with 108 total tackles.

He played under Shannon for two seasons before the coaching change after UCF head coach Josh Heupel's sudden departure to Tennessee left Shannon without a position on the staff.

Shannon moved to Tallahassee, taking a job as a senior defensive analyst on FSU's staff in 2021 and was promoted to linebackers coach this offseason.

This promotion definitely played a role in swaying Bethune to choose FSU and to get another chance to be coached by Shannon.

"Coach Shannon is one of those guys that's going to help you off the field the same way he helps you on the field. Coach Shannon is just a great dude," Bethune said.

"He's just a dude that I can count on. I can come to him outside of football if I need help with class or if I just need help family-wise or my car broke down. I know he would probably be the first one to put up. I love Coach Shannon...

"I entered the transfer portal and I realized he was here, he'd gotten a linebacker coach job a few weeks ago, it's a no brainer."

Bethune improved gradually over his career with the Knights. He missed just one game over his three-year career at UCF and saw his playing time grow from reserve linebacker as a true freshman in 2019 to part-time starter in 2020 and full-time starter this past season.

Tatum Bethune's relationship with FSU linebackers coach Randy Shannon played a role in his decision to transfer from UCF to FSU.
Tatum Bethune's relationship with FSU linebackers coach Randy Shannon played a role in his decision to transfer from UCF to FSU.

Over that time, he went from 20 tackles in 2019 to 57 in 2020 to a team-high 108 in 2021. Bethune did a little bit of everything this past season, also snagging two interceptions and recording 5.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and three quarterback hurries.

After his breakout season, Bethune earned an All-AAC honorable mention and was a second-team All-AAC linebacker for Pro Football Focus and Phil Steele. His 75.0 PFF grade for the 2021 season ranked 36th best among all FBS linebackers.

"I feel like I'm bringing the love of the game to the field. I'm a vocal leader. On the field I talk a lot, probably the last person to put my mouthpiece in before the play," Bethune said.

"Just having that high energy, being able to keep my players up. I'm a guy that is always going to encourage my players and always worry about everything before I worry about myself."

Even before Bethune's addition, there was cause to feel more optimistic about FSU's linebacker room than at this time last year.

Kalen DeLoach had one of the biggest breakouts of anyone on the FSU roster in his redshirt sophomore season in 2021. Amari Gainer's decision to return in 2022 and another year of experience for DJ Lundy further bolster the state of the room.

But the addition of Bethune gives FSU both a top-end talent and more depth in the middle of the defense.

"Florida State has a bunch of guys that are very great athletes and that's just something that I wanted to add onto," Bethune said.

"Me knowing how coach Norvell wants the program and how he's building it, that is just something that I wanted to be a part of like I said earlier. I just feel good, I feel great about my decision."

Reach Curt Weiler at cweiler@tallahassee.com or follow him on Twitter @CurtMWeiler.

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Tatum Bethune chose FSU football over hometown Miami after UCF transfer