Florida State Adds New All American Linebacker Chris Jones
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Florida State football has signed 6-foot-1, 230lbs linebacker Chris Jones from the transfer portal for this upcoming 2026 season. Jones spent his first two years of college at Southern Miss.
In his two years at Southern Miss, Jones played in 22 games while starting 13 games. He had 180 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, and two interceptions in his two seasons in Hattiesburg.
Once in the transfer portal, Jones initially committed to Ole Miss on January 5, but flipped to Florida State on January 15. He’ll have two years of eligibility with Florida State. He also considered Kansas State and Oklahoma St.
Jones is one of 16 new transfer portal players brought in by head coach Mike Norvell, and one of the seven defensive players they will be counting on in 2026.
Florida State struggled against athletic running backs in 2025. Florida State did not have linebackers that could cover backs out of the backfield, and the addition of Jones should help in 2026.
While there is experience coming back from last year's linebackers, nobody compares to Jones and the stellar season he had in 2025.
During his freshman year in 2024, the linebacker recorded 46 tackles, one interception, and two fumbles. His 46 tackles were second on the team. He played in the first nine games of the season and missed the last three due to injury.
In 2025, anyone who saw him realized that Jones was truly a special player. During his sophomore year at Southern Miss, Jones recorded 135 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, and one interception. He led the conference in tackles in 2025 and finished with the seventh most tackles in college football last season.
After the 2025 season, he was named first-team All-Sunbelt and a third-team G5 All-American.
Jones is from Byram, Mississippi, where he was a three-star athlete for Hartfield Academy. In 2023, he led Hartfield to its first undefeated season and the 6A state championship. Jones was 6A Defensive Player of the Year his senior season after registering 112 tackles (including 20 for loss). Jones played in the Army All-American Bowl and was also named Defensive MVP of that game.
Many expect Jones to be the leader in the room, given his experience and 2025 performance. When Florida State starts training camp on July 30, you can best believe that all eyes will be on the All-American Jones.
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