Florida State football needs a productive finish to the transfer portal window, which ends on January 16th, for undergraduates to announce their intentions to enter. The Seminoles are requesting all the help they can get after having four losing seasons in the past six years.
This is a football program that is filled with tradition and legendary players. However, the perception over the last couple of years has been low.
The Seminoles need a spark in the right direction to bring the fan base back into it again. Florida State has added thirteen transfers in the window, but only four of them are on defense. At this rate, offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn will have to put insane numbers up every game to win.
Florida State football looks to finally be getting good news with linebacker transfer Chris Jones
Florida State has had its fair share of bad news lately, where the Seminoles have been classified as a "walking punching bag" with as much as they have to endure.
The defensive line has taken such a hit that it feels like the Seminoles will be fielding a unit of true freshmen that not be ready. Not to mention, they have got one linebacker transfer in JUCO option Chris Thomas from Northwest Mississippi Community College.
This didn't excite people, but Noles247 first reported that Florida State will be hosting former Southern Miss linebacker transfer Chris Jones.
The linebacker board had some talented options, such as Southern Miss's Chris Jones and Pittsburgh's Rasheem Biles, who were supposed to be visiting Florida State. However, Jones committed to Ole Miss, and Biles pledged to Texas.
There is hope as Jones decided to back off his pledge to the Rebels on Monday afternoon.
BREAKING: Southern Miss transfer Linebacker Chris Jones has Decommitted from Ole Miss, he tells me.
— JGPCFB (@jgpvisuals) January 12, 2026
Jones has totaled 179 TKLs (76 Solo), 4.5 Sacks, 3 PDs, 3 FFs, & 2 INTs in the past 2 seasons.
2 years of eligibility remaining. pic.twitter.com/Gaa5yT7Q6I
To make matters even better, is that he is a productive linebacker statistically, and he has multiple years of eligibility remaining. Jones was supposed to visit Florida State before making a decision, but he thought it would be best to pledge to Ole Miss.
However, according to a report from Noles247, the Southern Miss linebacker got himself back in the Seminoles' favor by de-committing from Ole Miss and immediately setting up a visit to Florida State tomorrow (Tuesday, January 13th).
This is massive news for a Florida State defense that is trying to bolster its front seven to handle the likes of Miami, Florida, Alabama, Clemson, North Carolina State, Louisville, SMU, and others.