When Marvin Jones Jr. entered the NCAA Transfer Portal on Dec. 12, he already knew his destination.

The junior defensive end picked Georgia over Florida State football during the 2022 recruiting class, despite his father - Marvin Jones - being a Seminole legacy as a two-time All-American linebacker at FSU.

Head coach Mike Norvell and FSU finished second in his recruiting the first go around. That was never going to be the case this time.

"I was logged out of my Twitter forever, so any DM's I may have gotten wasn't seen until way after," Jones said with a laugh a newcomer availability Wednesday.

"I kind of knew I wanted to come to Florida State either way. It wasn't really much of a decision, honestly. I had seen what Norvell had done, I knew the kind of man he is so it wasn't a hard decision."

Jones was part of the 2022 Georgia National Championship team and on the Bulldogs team which went 13-1 last season.

He played 237 snaps across 12 games and recorded 12 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, one sack, one forced fumble and a fumble recovery in 2023 as a sophomore.

But Jones was looking for his next destination to play a bigger role and the opportunity with FSU made sense with not only his childhood connection but also the connections he built with the staff.

"A lot of great connections built here during high school. I didn't make the decision to come here out of high school, but I knew what kind of guy coach Norvell was, what kind of guy JP [defensive ends coach John Papuchis] was and coach (Adam) Fuller. It definitely helped having such a strong relationship with them in high school, helped make this decision a lot easier."

It also helped that Norvell has delivered on his message to Jones that he would turn around FSU.

When Jones committed to Georgia, the Seminoles had gone 8-13 in Norvell's first two seasons. They have gone 23-4 since, including an ACC Championship last season.

"He definitely made it clear that he was going to come in here and make a change," Jones said of Norvell's message to him during his high school recruitment. "You guys see it by the record, obviously."

Jones is also very familiar with another coach on the staff. Defensive backs coach Patrick Surtain coached Jones at American Heritage in Plantation.

"Coach Pat has always been there for me. Even before high school football, he's always been a part of my life," Jones said. "It's definitely cool having people you're so comfortable with in the building every day."

No influence from his father Marvin Jones

Jones Sr. was a legend with the Seminoles as a linebacker from 1990-92. He won the 1992 Butkus and Lombardi Awards before going on to play for a decade in the NFL.

Jones Jr. spent a lot of time at Doak Campbell Stadium and watching FSU football. His older cousin, Fredrick Jones, played defensive tackle for the Seminoles (2014-18).

But he never faced pressure from his father to follow in his footsteps to become a Seminole.

"Definitely appreciate him not making the decision too hard on me. He let me know it was my decision," Jones said. "At the end of the day, he's not the one waking up and going to class anymore. He definitely was very helpful, allowed me to be myself, obviously gave me advice.

"I could tell he wanted me to come here the first time around, but he was definitely very helpful."

While his father never showed any bias toward FSU during either recruiting process, Jones Jr. could tell his father was excited when the decision to return to Tallahassee was finalized.

"But I could tell in his tone he was excited for me, just asking me about little stuff, my house if I've moved in," Jones said. "He couldn't wait to get me moved in and settled over here."

Healthy offseason

Jones was not an early enrollee so he did not get into Georgia's winter strength and conditioning program as a freshman. Last year, he had off-season surgery on his shoulder.

So for the junior DE, FSU director of strength and conditioning Josh Storms' Tour of Duty and a healthy offseason have been an adjustment for him

"I think me being able to work out and lift in the offseason will help me in every category," Jones said. "Strength, speed, reaction time. Being able to move around before the season starts, I think is going to help me a lot.

"This is my first winter workout program so it definitely feels like a fresh start being able to lift in the offseason. Tour of Duty definitely isn't fun. It's work. I'm just happy to be here, honestly. Happy to get better."

Dalvin Cook inspiration

Jones called legendary FSU running back Dalvin Cook his inspiration. Jones recalled meeting Cook - who had 5,399 scrimmage yards and 48 touchdowns from 2014-16 - as a child.

"He was my hero growing up," Jones said.

Jones said his goal is to influence the future generation of FSU fans the same way Cook did for him.

He recalled taking a photo with Cook as one of his favorite memories growing up as a Seminole fan.

"I can't say enough about how excited I am for this season," Jones said. "Dalvin inspired me and I hope I can do the same for other fans of Florida State."

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. opens up on FSU football, father and Dalvin Cook