Top transfer DE Jared Verse discusses "eye-opening experience" at Florida State
With the Early Signing Period wrapping up, Florida State will be hitting the transfer portal to fill out the majority of the remaining holes on the roster. The Seminoles have had a lot of success at bringing transfers into Tallahassee and turning them into impact players.
One of the players they're currently targeting is also one of the hottest commodities on the market.
Albany defensive end Jared Verse elected to explore making the move from the FCS to the FBS at the end of November. Since then, he's received nearly 30 offers from programs across the country.
"It's been really reassuring," Verse said to NoleGameday's Dustin Lewis. "I didn't let it all get to my head because I do know how it feels. Out of college, I was under-recruited. Not a lot of schools saw what Albany saw. It has been humbling at the same time knowing that hard work does pay off."
Verse exploded during his redshirt freshman season this fall after a successful spring. He recorded 52 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, and a forced fumble. At the end of the season, he was named the CAA Defensive Rookie of the Year.
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Around Thanksgiving, he spoke with his family and then made the tough decision to enter the transfer portal when he returned to Albany after the break.
"It was a hard decision to make," Verse said. "Albany was one of the few schools that did see what really no other school saw. So, it was really hard to do it. I called the coaches, told them what I was thinking. I went into Thanksgiving, saw my family, asked for their opinion and then I pulled the trigger when I came back."
Since then, his phone has been ringing off the hook and Verse has taken multiple visits around the country to learn more about programs that he's interested in. To this point, he's taken trips to Syracuse, Houston, Florida State, and Tennessee.
"It was a lot," Verse said. "Traveling place to place, you don't get a full feel for a place, only being there for a day. But I saw what I needed from each school. I saw the facilities, I got to sit down with the coaches, see the schemes. I feel like I got more than enough to make a decision."
The Pennsylvania native was in Tallahassee last week to check out Florida State. One thing that instantly caught his attention was the fan support. He felt like the Seminoles needed him.
"The people, the fans, everything like that," Verse said. "From the second I got off of the flight to the second I left, they were all over me, talking to me, it felt like they really cared, really wanted me there. I didn't feel like I was wanted there, I felt like I was needed there."
A big selling point in Florida State's recruitment of Verse is how they developed two transfer defensive ends a year ago. Jermaine Johnson and Keir Thomas were the standout stars on the defense throughout the season. Johnson, in particular, stood out after he recorded 17.5 tackles and 11.5 sacks, and was named the ACC's Defensive Player of the Year.
"It's definitely reassuring to see all of the games they had, all of the positivity they were able to help with," Verse said. "They were two athletic guys coming from big programs. It's not like they were coming from FCS to FBS. They were coming from top programs already and had major success so it's reassuring."
During the visit, Verse got the opportunity to sit down and speak with Johnson and Thomas. He called it an eye-opening experience that made him see Florida State differently.
"It was an eye-opening experience," Verse said. "I got to sit down and speak with Pop [Keir Thomas], me and him spoke more about campus lifestyle, how his change was. Me and Jermaine [Johnson], really sat down and talked the football stuff. How his relationship with the coaches was and how he expects mine to be."
"It was amazing sitting down with two guys that did have that success and did have the success that I am looking to have," Verse continued. "They are both going to the draft, they are both going to be picked very high. It did have a huge impact. It did have me seeing Florida State differently."
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While his main recruiter on the staff has been defensive ends coach John Papuchis, Verse had a few conversations with head coach Mike Norvell during the period that he was on campus.
"We didn't really talk the football aspect," Verse said. "Obviously, five to ten minutes of that but everything else was life. What he wants from his players more than football. Everyone knows that one day, football does end. He was talking about what he wanted after that, what he expected me to do. It was more about me as a person more than an athlete."
What does Verse want to bring to the program where he eventually chooses to spend his final three seasons of eligibility?
"Domination, to be quite honest," Verse said. "I want to help the whole team elevate their game also. We're a team at the end of the day. I want to go to a team where I feel like I'm needed and valued but also a team where I can help them reach that next level. What I bring to the table are power, strength, and relentlessness."
Moving forward, Verse will continue to weigh his options. He doesn't have a top list or a set commitment date. Since Verse plans to enroll at his next stop in January, he's thinking about deciding later this month or in early January.
NoleGameday will continue to keep up with Verse throughout his recruitment and eventual commitment.
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