Auburn offensive line transfer Keiondre Jones was not quite ready for the energy of Florida State head coach Mike Norvell on his visit to Tallahassee.
As is customary for Norvell, he greeted Jones and his mother with a lot of enthusiasm when they entered the building.
"The first thing is his energy," Jones said at his introductory press conference Thursday. "First time I met him when I got here, he yelled at me and my mom. It wasn't really a yell, it was a 'good morning.' It scared the heck out of me.
"I wasn't used to that. I played for coach (Gus) Malzahn. He's a laid-back guy. He brings a lot of energy. ... That yell, I was like, 'is he mad, or what's going on? Did I do something wrong?'"
Notebook: New Florida State tight end Kyle Morlock ready to prove himself at Power Five level
Transfer destinations for former Florida State Seminoles football players
Florida State baseball to retire Buster Posey's jersey vs. Pittsburgh on March 11
Jones joins a loaded transfer portal class for the Seminoles. FSU ranks second behind LSU for the top transfer portal class, according to 247Sports.
For the 6-foot-4, 340-pound guard the decision to transfer to Florida State was an obvious choice.
He said he watched the Seminoles' games on YouTube TV this past season and has high aspirations for what the team can do next season.
"Why not? That's the biggest thing to me. It's Florida (State)," Jones said. "It's coming off a 10-win season. I think a lot of guys in the back end of their careers or looking to do something special in their career, they know that we've got something special going on here. And that's talking to anybody who might enter the Portal here soon.
"Keep your eyes open about Florida State, I'm telling you. We've got high hopes. Championship hopes. Championship goals. I don't even want to say hopes. Goals. That's what we expect."
Jones said he watched the LSU, NC State, Florida and Cheez-It Bowl against Oklahoma this past season. He had already committed by the Cheez-It Bowl, but he then noticed something in the bowl game, based on a conversation with offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Alex Atkins.
"One thing that was huge for me was Coach Atkins came to my house, he told me they do this thing where the offensive line fist bumps between every play," Jones said. "So I'm thinking I've never seen that before. So I go back and watch the game and you're like 'oh, they do that before every play for real.'
"That's kind of huge because it's like no matter what happened last play, no matter how tired I am, no matter how long the drive is going, no matter how bad the game is going, no matter how good the game is going, I've still got you to my right and my left."
Jones is one of three additions to the offensive line room for the Seminoles through the portal.
With Dillan Gibbons and Jazston Turnetine exhausting their eligibility, FSU will have open roles on the offensive line up for grabs.
Jones, who is in his final year of eligibility, said playing time was important to his decision to transfer.
"It's important to me, obviously, but nothing is going to be promised here," he said. "To be honest with you, it wasn't like a 'you're going to come in and we're going to just give you this spot.' No, they brought in good dudes in this room, there are good dudes in this room. So, it's earned."
Florida State women's basketball guard, Finland product Sara Bejedi finally finding herself
Tight end Wyatt Rector may have graduated and moved from the Seminoles, but he's still playing a key role for the program.
Defensive tackle and Western Michigan transfer Braden Fiske gave Rector credit for helping him land with FSU at his introductory press conference Thursday.
"It was also attractive that one of my roommates in college, Wyatt Rector, came down here and got insight from him into how the program rolled, his experience and how it went for him. That helped me a lot," Fiske said.
The culture Norvell has built entering his fourth season at FSU is becoming more obvious to those outside the program with more success on the field.
The Seminoles are coming off their first 10-win season since 2016 and the 25th in program history.
"That was actually a big reason why I picked Florida State. It was the vibe I got from the program, where the program is headed," Fiske said. "Especially Coach Norvell, his energy, but the players feed off that. There's an expectation here to win now and that was a big deal for me because I'm in a win-now scenario in my last year here.
"I can tell, this is a championship program and that's the feeling you get walking around the building. The players here, it's unbelievable. I've never been part of something like this. The way guys hold each other accountable, the way seniors and leaders of the team are outspoken, that's how you build a championship culture. They've got it here."
How Steph Curry, an unorthodox shooting method prepared FSU men's basketball star Darin Green Jr.
In just the second game with Hutchinson Community College (Hutchinson, Kan. )this past season, Jaden Jones suffered an ACL injury which forced him to miss the rest of the season.
The 6-6, 240-pound defensive end is working his way with the director of strength and conditioning Josh Storms to get fully recovered.
"I'm doing pretty good right now," Jaden Jones said of his rehab process. "Yesterday, I did a squat for the first time. I went up to 315. That's pretty good for me."
A guide for Jaden Jones could be starting running back Trey Benson, who transferred to FSU following a knee injury at Oregon.
"Coach Storms on my visit we were talking about different players coming in with knee injuries. The main one I saw was Trey Benson," Jaden Jones said. "He was just showing me before and after shots."
Florida State football: 2024 quarterback commit Luke Kromenhoek on why he's loyal to Seminoles
True freshman defensive back Quindarrius Jones could play a major role for the FSU secondary as soon as this season.
But he also played wide receiver in high school and made an impact at the position. He admitted he thought he was being recruited for the offensive side of the ball.
"Actually I thought I was being recruited as a receiver," Quindarrius Jones said. "But not everything goes as planned."
He added he could start his FSU career playing boundary corner or safety and will be ready to go.
Reach Ehsan Kassim at ekassim@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Ehsan_Kassim. You can also follow our coverage on Facebook (NoleSports) and Instagram (tlhnolesports).
No one covers the 'Noles like the Tallahassee Democrat. Subscribe using the link at the top of the page and never miss a moment.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Auburn transfer Keiondre Jones: 'Mike Norvell scared the heck out of me'
