Former Florida State QB Finds New Home

Florida State's roster has gone through plenty of changes at practically every position since the conclusion of the 2025 season.

The Seminoles completely rebuilt their quarterback room, bringing in four new faces, including Ashton Daniels and Malachi Marshall, to add alongside redshirt freshman Kevin Sperry.

Sperry is the lone scholarship signal-caller on the roster who is returning to Florida State next season. Tommy Castellanos, Brock Glenn, and Jaylen King all departed from the program for a variety of reasons.

Castellanos is pursuing a career at the professional level while Glenn transferred to Western Kentucky.

After exploring his options, King has found a new home.

Former FSU QB Transferring To FCS School

On Wednesday, King signed with Mercer, a member of the FCS. The Bears are searching for a new starting quarterback after Braden Atkinson transferred to Oregon State.

Mercer is bringing in King, alongside incoming freshman Adrian Parker to spark a quarterback competition. The program finished 9-3 last season, falling in the first round of the playoffs.

QB room just got better 💪

Welcome, @Jaylenk1ng

QB | 6-4 | 220
Folkston, GA
Florida State University#ATTACK | #NSD26 pic.twitter.com/CQJYXwgBaS
— Mercer Football (@MercerFootball) February 4, 2026

King spent the 2025 season with the Seminoles, serving as a reserve quarterback and contributing on the scout team. In his lone appearance against Kent State, King failed to connect on his only pass attempt and rushed two times for six yards, leading a touchdown drive.

The plan was always for King to redshirt last season, with the potential to eventually step into a larger role. He was able to parlay his only year at Florida State into an opportunity where he has a good opportunity to earn more playing time.

King began his college career in the FCS at Gardner-Webb and also had a stint at East Tennessee State. Over his two seasons with the pair of programs, he appeared in 19 games and made 17 starts. King completed 198/369 passes for 2,499 yards with 18 touchdowns to 20 interceptions. He rushed 205 times for 667 yards and nine more scores.

The 6-foot-4, 220-pound quarterback will have two seasons of eligibility remaining.