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An FSU football legacy will officially visit this weekend as a transfer. Here's what to know
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- An FSU football legacy will officially visit this weekend as a transfer. Here's what to know
A couple of days after entering the NCAA Transfer Portal , a Florida State football legacy is set to make an official visit to Tallahassee this weekend.
Marvin Jones Jr. entered the portal after two seasons at Georgia. He is set to visit FSU this weekend, along with a group that includes former Clemson and Oregon State quarterback DJ Uiagalelei.
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He is the son of Marvin Jones Sr., a two-time All-American linebacker at FSU. He won the 1992 Butkus and Lombardi Awards. He went on to play for 11 seasons for the New York Jets .
FSU head coach Mike Norvell and his staff are familiar with Jones, as the Seminoles had originally finished as runners-up in the 2022 recruiting class.
The need for an explosive player at the edge on the defensive line is a major need for FSU, as star Jared Verse is likely headed to a top-15 selection in the NFL Draft and while it seems like Patrick Payton could return to FSU despite announcing his intentions to enter the portal, the Seminoles still need more bodies here and showed this season the coaching staff prefers using a rotation.
Jones earned a '93' grade from 247Sports and is ranked as the No. 15 overall player and No. 3 edge defender in the NCAA Transfer Portal Rankings.
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Here's what you need to know about Jones.
Profile
Height: 6-foot-5
Weight : 250 pounds
His Georgia career
Georgia Bulldogs linebacker Marvin Jones Jr. (7) celebrates after recovering a fumble by Florida Gators quarterback Graham Mertz (15) at Everbank Stadium in Jacksonville, FL on Saturday, October 28, 2023. [Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun]
Jones picked the Bulldogs over the Seminoles. In his two seasons in Athens, Georgia, Jones has mostly played as a reserve. He made his first career start against Alabama in the SEC Championship Game.
This season, he played 237 snaps across 12 games and recorded 12 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, one sack, one forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
As a true freshman in 2022, Jones saw the field as a reserve linebacker and on kick coverage units in 13 games. He was credited with one solo tackle and a QB hurry in a win at South Carolina . He also had a fourth-quarter QB sack in a win over Georgia Tech .
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Prep career and FSU connection
Jones played at American Heritage in South Florida under then-head coach Patrick Surtain Sr. Surtain is now the secondary coach at FSU.
He helped lead American Heritage to a 6-4 record and to the FHSAA Class 5A regional semifinals as a senior. He tallied 46 tackles, six tackles for loss and five sacks for the Patriots in 2021, while also catching three passes for 63 yards and one touchdown on offense.
Jones was a 5-star prospect out of high school, ranking 21st overall in the nation, according to 247Sports. He was the second-best edge prospect and the fifth-best player in the state of Florida .
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Reach Ehsan Kassim at ekassim@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Ehsan_Kassim. You can also follow our coverage on Facebook (NoleSports), Instagram (tlhnolesports) and YouTube channel (NoleSportsTD).
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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Marvin Jones Jr.: Georgia transfer officially visiting FSU football
