During the winter portal cycle, Florida State football added two more defensive back pieces in an already deep room: Earl Little Jr. (Alabama) and Davonte Brown (Miami).

Brown, a redshirt senior, spoke to local media on Tuesday along with two other FSU newcomers in Alabama transfers Terrence Ferguson and Malik Benson. Brown is no stranger to Tallahassee as he took the field against the Seminoles on Nov. 11, 2023, while he was with the Hurricanes. FSU won, 27-20.

"The environment last year was crazy," Brown said. "Just coming out in the beginning and seeing the horse and the spear and the [war] chant the whole game. Having on Garnet and Gold is gonna be a different feeling. I'm excited."

One of the biggest questions coming in is can Brown find the same success he had before Miami when he was at UCF?

Brown played for the Knights from 2020 to 2022, recording an impressive 96 tackles, 21 pass deflections and three interceptions over 36 games. He started in 31 games at UCF.

He hit his peak in his sophomore season, recording 38 tackles and 14 pass deflections, which earned him Pro Football Focus third-team All-AAC honors.

This past season at Miami his numbers slipped, recording 30 tackles, six pass deflections and an interception.

Brown said that he hasn't been told if he's playing at any position specifically, but wants to help wherever he can.

"I just want to come in and be a help to the team," Brown said. "I want to help wherever I can, whether that's corner, safety, even inside. I want to be a versatile player and that can help me in the future, too."

He also has experience playing under defensive backs coach Patrick Surtain and co-defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Randy Shannon.

Surtain was Brown's head coach at American Heritage High School in Plantation, Florida and Shannon was the defensive coordinator at UCF during Brown's first season.

"Just defensive side of the ball that having coaches you had a relationship with and you feel like you can go to them outside of football too," Brown said. Just being able to communicate openly and knowing that you have some people that are there for you outside of football for life played a big part in coming here."

Brown also talked about how impressed he was by FSU's defense last season, mainly its 1-on-1 matchups, something he believes that he excels in. As a team, the Seminoles picked off opponents 10 times and 79 pass breakups. They also forced 14 fumbles and received seven.

The total defense ranked 28th nationally and the sixth-best passing efficiency defense, which also led the ACC.

"Seeing a lot of man, in your face defense, same pressure, but for the most part I've seen a lot of one-on-one matchups out there," Brown said. "I feel like that's what I thrive in and I look forward to covering the other team's best receivers and taking that away."

Jack Williams covers Florida State athletics for Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at jwilliams@tallahassee.com or on X @jackgwilliams.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU football newcomer Davonte Brown excited about 1-on-1 matchups in Seminoles defense