Jared Verse on chaotic transfer process: I couldn't find any cons with Florida State

The difference between the high school recruitment and transfer portal recruitment of Florida State defensive end Jared Verse was night and day. Verse did not have much buzz when he was a high school player. The Pennsylvania native was an unranked tight end when he committed to Albany to convert to the defensive line.

When he entered the transfer portal after three seasons with the Great Danes, it was a totally different situation. He was a hot commodity with schools all across the country reaching out.

He recalled that hectic process in an interview with Andy Staples on his On3 podcast Monday.

“I officially entered at like 2 a.m. because I had to fill out something and everything like that,” Verse said. “I think at like 7 a.m., they officially put me in. About 9 a.m., my phone was going crazy. I’m getting calls from random numbers. I’m like, ‘Hello.’ ‘Hey, Jared, it’s Adam Fuller.’ I’m like, Adam Fuller? Oh yea, defensive coordinator at Florida State. I’m like, Woah. I’m getting calls from like every coach, every recruiter, everybody across the board. It was so much at once.”

Verse earned All-Colonial Athletic Association first team honors that Fall 2021 season after winning CAA Defensive Rookie of the Year as a redshirt freshman the year prior.

That production made him highly sought-after in the portal with numerous Power Five schools after him. But there was something about the Seminoles that drew him in.

“When I went home after the season, after I left Albany, my mom, in our dining room, we put up a whole bunch of boards,” Verse said. “Pros and cons of every team after our visits. Everyone we thought would be a great fit for me or where I should go. We slowly narrowed it down based on position, based on need, based on what their defense was, if I felt like I meshed with the coach. Everyone I talked to I had a great connection with but if I felt like I would really see myself there. It came down to Florida State and like two other schools. Every time I was like looking at the boards, I kept seeing Florida State. I kept turning my head back to ’em. I couldn’t even think of any cons about them.”

One player who helped him make his decision was Jermaine Johnson. Johnson transferred to Florida State as an upperclassman, like Verse.

But Johnson came from a powerhouse program in Georgia looking for a chance to play on every down. He earned that at Florida State and went on to win 2021 ACC Defensive Player of the Year.

Seeing that success and talking with Johnson helped Verse in his process as a transfer.

“It was crazy,” Verse said. “Looking at Jermaine, we took two different paths. He went to Georgia. He did what he did at Georgia and came down south to Florida State. I’m like, alright like we took a different path. But I’m talking to him like, what do you not like about here? He’s told me his likes, his dislikes, everything like that. All right, I could see myself in a place like this: somewhere where you feel like you truly belong.”