Former Ole Miss Football Transfer Commit Reveals Why He Flipped to Florida State

Southern Miss linebacker Chris Jones backed off of his initial commitment to Pete Golding and the Ole Miss Rebels last month after flipping his pledge to the Florida State Seminoles.

From there, the coveted defender made things official with the ACC program where he signed the dotted line and made the move to Tallahassee for the 2026 season.

Jones checked in as a Top-100 linebacker in the NCAA Transfer Portal with multiple premier programs emerging as potential suitors where Ole Miss initially beat out the likes of Florida State and Memphis for his pledge in the free agent market.

Jones is fresh off a dominant sophomore campaign for the Golden Eagles where he logged 135 total tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, one interception, two pass breakups, and one forced fumble.

That was highest tackle total in the Sun Belt where it ultimately earned him first-team All-Conference honors.

Florida State Seminoles Football. — Courtesy of Chris Jones on X.

Jones wrapped up his career at Southern Miss with 179 tackles in two seasons where he also logged 4.5 sacks, three pass breakups, three forced fumbles and two interceptions.

Golding and Co. picked up steam for the 6-foot-1, 230-pounder that is coming off of an all-conference season in Hattiesburg (Miss.) where Ole Miss landed the commitment, but it became short-lived after reopening his process and signing with Florida State.

Why did he make the move to join Mike Norvell and Co. last month?

According to Rivals, "Chris Jones says he committed to Ole Miss, in part, to idolizing Rebels great Patrick Willis but when it 'comes to fit and scheme' FSU was the right decision for himself.

Chris Jones says he committed to Ole Miss, in part, to idolizing Rebels great Patrick Willis but when it “comes to fit and scheme” FSU was the right decision for himself.

More updates: https://t.co/yDCtj01F3w pic.twitter.com/H7Qlo7qLMP
— Warchant.com (@Warchant) February 25, 2026

Ole Miss is coming off of a strong run in the Transfer Portal with multiple immediate impact players signing with the program, but the loss of a surefire tackler in Jones is one that certainly stings the Rebels' defense heading into 2026.

Now, all eyes are on Spring Camp with Golding and Co. less than one month away from taking the practice field with a reloaded roster moving forward.

More Ole Miss News:

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Ole Miss Football and Texas Longhorns Pushing to Flip Coveted WR Committed to SEC Foe

Every Ole Miss Football Player That Received an Invitation to the 2026 NFL Combine

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