FSU football legacy, former Georgia edge commits to Seminoles from Transfer Portal
Florida State football added a big-time commitment and familiar name from the NCAA Transfer Portal Monday.
Georgia defensive end Marvin Jones Jr. announced his commitment to the Seminoles following an official visit to FSU Saturday and Sunday.
He did not speak to the media following the end of his visit Sunday.
The Georgia transfer is Seminole legacy as the son of Marvin Jones, a wo-time All-American linebacker at FSU. He won the 1992 Butkus and Lombardi Awards. He went on to play for 11 seasons for the New York Jets.
Jones Jr. announced his decision on his social media.
The No. 5 Seminoles (13-0) play No. 6 Georgia (12-1) at 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 30 in the Orange Bowl in Miami Gardens.
FSU needed an explosive player at the edge on the defensive line with star Jared Verse is likely heading to a top-15 selection in the NFL Draft.
Patrick Payton could return to FSU despite announcing his intentions to enter the portal, the Seminoles still need more bodies here and showed this season the coaching staff prefers using a rotation.
Jones earned a '93' grade from 247Sports and is ranked as the No. 18 overall player and No. 4 edge defender in the NCAA Transfer Portal Rankings.
The 6-foot-5, 250-pound lineman played 237 snaps across 12 games and recorded 12 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, one sack, one forced fumble and a fumble recovery this season. He started for Georgia in the SEC Championship game against Alabama earlier this month and entered the transfer portal days later.
Jones played at American Heritage in South Florida under then-head coach Patrick Surtain Sr. Surtain is now the secondary coach at FSU.
He helped lead American Heritage to a 6-4 record and the FHSAA Class 5A regional semifinals as a senior. He tallied 46 tackles, six tackles for loss and five sacks for the Patriots in 2021, while also catching three passes for 63 yards and one touchdown on offense.
Jones was a 5-star prospect out of high school, ranking 21st overall in the nation, according to 247Sports. He was the second-best edge prospect and the fifth-best player in the state of Florida.
Jones is the first player to commit to FSU in the transfer portal in this cycle.
FSU Football 2023 Winter Transfer Tracker
Transfers in:
Marvin Jones Jr., DL, Redshirt sophomore - Georgia
Transfers out:
CJ Campbell, RB, Redshirt sophomore
Preston Daniel, TE, Redshirt junior
Dylan Brown-Turner, LB, Freshman
Markeston Douglas, TE, Redshirt junior
AJ Duffy, QB, Redshirt freshman
Bless Harris, OL, Redshirt senior
Rodney Hill, RB, Redshirt freshman
Tyler Keltner, K, Redshirt senior
Malcolm Ray, DT, Redshirt junior
Daughtry Richardson, OL, Freshman
Thomas Shrader, OL, Redshirt junior
Ayobami Tifase, DL, Redshirt freshman
NFL Draft declarations
Jaheim Bell, TE, Redshirt junior
Trey Benson, RB, Redshirt junior
Jarrian Jones, DB, Redshirt senior
Fabien Lovett, DL, Redshirt senior
Reach Ehsan Kassim at ekassim@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Ehsan_Kassim. You can also follow our coverage on Facebook (NoleSports), Instagram (tlhnolesports) and YouTube channel (NoleSportsTD).
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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Marvin Jones Jr. commits to FSU football, transferring from Georgia