Standard Bearer: How Jarrian Jones went from unhappy transfer to FSU team leader

If the Jarrian Jones of summer 2020 had heard the words coming from his mouth in winter 2022, he never would have believed it.

Shortly after Jones and fellow Mississippi State transfer Fabien Lovett arrived at Florida State three-plus years ago, they started looking for the exit almost immediately.

They didn’t necessarily want to go back to Starkville, Miss. They didn’t know where they could go next. But they definitely didn’t want to stay here.

“I tried to leave the first week,” Jones said. “Me and Fabo … every day, we were like, ‘Bro, what are we doing? Why did we do this?’ We tried to leave so many times.”

Jones, who originally was a four-star prospect in the class of 2019, always thought of himself as a hard worker. He also believed in his talent. And after starting one game and playing in seven others as a freshman in the Southeastern Conference, he figured he would breeze through two seasons at Florida State before moving on to the NFL.

As it turned out, nothing was a breeze at his new school.

Josh Storms and the Florida State strength staff were far more demanding than he expected. The culture inside the FSU locker room was still a mess following the departures of two head coaches in the previous 2 1/2 years. And new head coach Mike Norvell was on him all the time. About everything.

“We butted heads a lot. Every day,” Jones said. “Like every day, there was something. Me and him would argue every day — whether it be on the field, whether it be off the field.”

At the time, Jones never would have imagined he would still be in Tallahassee for the 2023 season. Truth be told, he never expected to even be at Florida State in 2022.

Yet when the No. 4-ranked and undefeated Seminoles take the field tonight for their home finale against North Alabama, Jones should be recognized as an unsung hero who helped make this special season possible.

Not only will he be starting his 26th game in the Florida State secondary. Not only will he be a senior leader and a shining example of the growth that is possible in Norvell’s program. Not only is he the guy who sealed last week’s win against rival Miami with a late interception. But Jones also is the one who did much of the behind-the-scenes politicking to keep this roster together.

As the 2022 season was coming to an end last December, teammates say, Jones was the one in everyone’s ear, encouraging them to come back for one more season.

Some players were considering departures for the NFL. Several others were thinking about bailing for more playing time — and/or greater NIL opportunities — at other schools.

Jones was encouraging them all to run it back in 2023.

“I felt if we came back to school and did it the right way, we could do something major,” Jones told Warchant this week. “And I think you’re kind of seeing that happen right now.”

As he reflects on his three-plus years at Florida State, Jones can’t point to one specific moment where Norvell and his staff won him over. There was no single epiphany where he saw the light.

To the contrary, it was the constant pushing and prodding. The way Storms’ staff drove him past the point of exhaustion in the weight room. The way Norvell, defensive coordinator Adam Fuller and Florida State’s other coaches never let him settle for less than his very best — even when he was battling through injuries during his first two years at Florida State.

“Whenever you’re working out, you always feel like you’re working out real hard,” Jones said. “But my limits were tested, honestly, when I got here with Coach Storms.”

It didn’t take long, however, for Jones to begin seeing the benefits of that work.

At first, it was evident in his own strength and speed. Then it was in the improvements he was seeing all across the team — in the form of both tangible and intangible results.

“The talent was never the issue, in my personal opinion,” Jones said of Norvell’s first season, which ended with a 3-6 record. “I think it was more of the culture that was in place here and the fact that people were so used to losing and not knowing what it actually took to win.”

By midway through 2021, however, things were starting to change.

After an 0-4 start, the Seminoles won five of their final eight games. Along the way, they threw a scare into Clemson on the road. They pulled off a stunning last-second win against rival Miami at home.

Then, Jones said, they went into winter workouts and spring practice with a completely different mindset.

There was no more cutting corners. There was no more pushing back at the coaches’ expectations. The guys who weren’t on board with the program had been shown the door. The new players who arrived were greeted by teammates and coaches with the highest expectations.

“We have the culture in place now,” Jones said. “It’s not rocky; it’s a solid foundation. So once you come in, you either have to buy in or get gone. Because the standard is the standard. It’s not gonna change for nobody.”

In the fall of 2022, the results continued to improve. There was a stunning win over LSU in New Orleans, a blowout of Miami on the road, and back-to-back wins against Florida and Oklahoma to end the season.

Florida State’s final record would end up at 10-3, which was an incredible accomplishment for a squad that had hit rock bottom one year earlier. But Jones knew there was still room to grow.

He believed Florida State could become a legitimate championship contender if key veterans returned. He thought they had unfinished business.

But as Jones looks back now, he recognizes there was more to it than that.

He simply wasn’t ready to leave.

During his first three seasons with the Seminoles, Jones had fallen in love with the culture and the tradition at Florida State. He now cherished the opportunity to wear a garnet-and-gold uniform every Saturday. He loved representing the university.

“And I fell in love with my teammates,” Jones said. “At the end of last season, we were seeing the hard work pay off. That was our first taste of actual winning. And I knew if we would come back and do it the right way, this could be special.”

It certainly has been so far. The Seminoles are 10-0 with two regular-season games remaining — today against visiting North Alabama and next Saturday at rival Florida.

If Florida State wins those two games and the ACC Championship Game in early December, Norvell will have FSU in the College Football Playoff semifinals for the first time since 2014.

It is exactly where Jones hoped Florida State would be when he was selling defensive end Jared Verse and others on the idea of returning this season. At the same time, he is convinced the Seminoles still haven’t reached close to their full potential.

“There’s so much left,” he said. “We have yet to put together a complete game. You have seen spurts of the dominance, and what it can be. … I honestly feel like this team is still just scratching the surface. There’s a lot more in store, and it’s honestly scary to say that.”

Jones’ individual development has mirrored that of the team.

According to Pro Football Focus, the Mississippi native’s overall defense grade in 2020 and 2021 was in the low- to mid-60s, which is slightly above average. In 2022, he had a grade of 70.4, according to PFF. This season, he’s checking in at 80.7.

Jones also leads Florida State with two interceptions — the game-clincher against Miami and a pick-six earlier this year against Southern Miss.

But according to Norvell, Fuller and others, Jones’ importance to the team can’t be measured in statistics or grades.

During his weekly press conference this past Monday, Fuller explained that Jones not only helps lead the Seminoles’ younger defensive backs, but he even takes time in practices to teach scout-team wide receivers how to run their routes correctly.

He wants to make sure the defense is getting the best looks possible. And the standard is the standard.

“It just shows proof, if you recruit the right people, regardless of success early or failure early, stick to it, stick to the plan, work hard at it, understand there’s going to be ups and downs, stay consistent, trust yourself and go to work,” Fuller said. “And that’s what he’s done. And now he’s one of the better DBs in the country.”

To hear Florida State’s coaches describe him, it’s almost as if Jones is a different person than the one who butted heads with Norvell so many times three years ago.

“I’m proud of that progression, as much as anything else,” Norvell said. “Because now … he’s telling the younger guys: ‘Yes, this is hard. It’s challenging. You might not understand it right now. Just watch the consistency of it.’ … To see him taking those steps and now being a true leader of it, it’s why I coach.”

As he reflects on these past four seasons, Jones marvels at how far he and the Seminoles have come. He reminds himself often of those dark days in 2020. The embarrassing defeats. The chaotic locker room.

He uses those memories as fuel during tough games and long practices. He says they keep him grounded and hungry. They are a constant reminder of what can be accomplished if the Seminoles stick together and hold each other accountable at all times.

“Honestly, it’s what keeps me going,” Jones said. “Because I appreciate where we are now. That’s what keeps me going and keeps me motivated. The people that were here in 2020-2021, we’re like locked in for life. Because we went through the hardest stuff together, and we made it through.”

Jones never found that easy exit back in 2020, and now he couldn’t be happier about that fact.

He acknowledges that taking part in Senior Day activities this evening will be bittersweet and emotional. There is so much pride that comes with putting Florida State Football back on a national stage, yet there is also considerable sadness knowing this team’s time together is dwindling.

This will be their last chance to play inside Doak Campbell Stadium. That’s difficult to accept.

At the same time, there are goals left to achieve. And time together to cherish.

Jones wants to soak up every ounce of both. It’s why he wanted them all to come back in the first place.

“Florida State made me a man,” Jones said. “Having Coach Norvell and Coach Storms and everybody here, they helped make me a man. They made me ready for that next step in life. I’ll forever be a ‘Nole. I’ll forever bleed garnet and gold.”

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