South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
FSU adds elite pass rusher in transfer from UAlbany
Florida State landed one of the most sought-after players in the transfer portal this cycle when pass-rushing defensive end Jared Verse of UAlbany announced he had committed to the Seminoles late Friday.
Verse, 6-foot-4 and 247-pounds, caught the attention of the FSU coaching staff this past season while the ‘Noles were scouting film of upcoming opponent Syracuse. Verse jumped off the screen during that game against Syracuse and he’s been on FSU’s radar ever since.
Verse, who just completed his redshirt freshman season, had 13.5 sacks in 15 games for the Great Danes and was named the Colonial Athletic Association Defensive Rookie of the Year for the spring
2021 season. If he chooses to use all of his NCAA eligibility, he will have three years remaining.
Verse, however, is projected by many to be headed to the NFL, which could mean a short time in Tallahassee.
An elite pass rusher, he went to UAlbany as a 205-pound tight end out of Bloomsburg (Pa.) Central High in 2019. He blossomed and moved to the defensive side.
Verse gave credit to UAlbany defensive line coach Bill Nesselt for his transformation in an interview with Mark Singelais of the Albany Times Union.
“That helped me beyond my belief,” he said of Nesselt. “I never played D-end, really, coming out of high school . ... Coach Nesselt sat me down, taught me everything I know about D-end, every move I know, every technique I know, every speed move, every strength move, how to stop the run. Coach Nesselt taught me everything. I owe everything to him, the basis of my abilities.”
He was listed as one of the top
10 players available in the transfer portal by most recruiting sites. His popularity upon entering the portal Nov. 30 earned him offers from the likes of other Power Five schools Florida, Texas, LSU, Oklahoma, Virginia Tech, USC, Miami and Auburn, among others. According to the Times Union, he took recruiting visits to FSU, Syracuse, Houston and Tennessee.
Verse told the Times-Union of his sudden Power Five popularity: “You know, it was kind of a shock. Not as a big a shock where I was mind blown, but a good-enough shock where there was a little more than expected, but in a good way.
“It’s been very flattering knowing that I’ve reached a level where
all these schools are very much interested in me. It’s kind of given me a lot more confidence knowing these schools see something in me and see what I can do, see how I can help them.”
As for playing on Sundays, Verse said he realizes there still is work to be done.
“I’m not a finished product at all,” Verse told the Times-Union. “I still have a lot to do. I can still be bigger. I can still get stronger. I’m far from being the fastest I can be. I feel a lot of schools see they can develop that and make me an overwhelming force at the FBS level where I’ll be hard to stop. Even if they throw double or triple teams
my way, that’s going to help my teammates.”
Verse meets a huge need for the Seminoles, who have had an inconsistent edge rush since DeMarcus Walker was drafted by the Denver Broncos in 2017. Walker, now with the Houston Texans, had 27 sacks in his FSU career, but he broke out his senior season in 2016 with 16.
Carolina Panthers third-year pro Brian Burns had a solid career at FSU with 23 sacks in three seasons.
Redshirt senior Jermaine Johnson II, a one-year transfer from Georgia, will get his NFL shot in April’s draft. He had a breakout year with 11.5 sacks last season with the Seminoles.