FSU football: 3 reasons Marvin Jones Jr. reaches potential at FSU

Staff Proven Track Record

FSU football defensive ends coach John Papuchis probably needs to pick up some when it comes to high school recruiting. However, nobody can question his track record developing defensive ends since he's been at FSU. Jermaine Johnson had a ton of potential, and he helped Johnson maximize it. The same for Jared Verse, though Verse was a bit more raw coming from the FCS level. The improvement between last year and this year doesn't always translate to the stat sheet, but Verse had an incredible 2023 season and improved his draft stock to a sure-fire NFL First Round pick. The development of defensive end Patrick Payton from the high school ranks can't go unmentioned.

Payton has seen steady improvement, winning the ACC Rookie Defensive Player of the Year award as a redshirt freshman. Payton built on that this year. He went from 31 to 42 tackles, six tackles for a loss to 13.5, and five to six sacks. He also had six more QB hurries and seven more passes defended. Should he return in 2024, he'll likely play way into an NFL Draft pick. There's no reason a player as talented as Marvin Jones Jr. can't do the same as these three guys.