Florida State first discovered Jared Verse while scouting Syracuse for an upcoming game. Over and over, 96 in purple and white kept making plays for Albany against a higher-caliber opponent.
If Verse were to enter the portal, FSU knew he had to be a priority.
Fast forward four months and Verse is now a Seminole. The talented pass rusher – he was the Colonial Athletic Association Defensive Rookie of the Year for the spring season and was first-team all-conference this fall – is headed to Tallahassee and set to enroll this week as FSU beat out Miami, Tennessee and others for his services.
FSU getting in on Verse’s recruitment as soon as he entered the portal eventually played a huge role in obtaining the coveted edge defender as big-name programs came calling in late December, but Verse kept his focus on the schools he established relationships at the start of his recruitment.
As it turns out, the timing of that Syracuse game in Week 5 – Mike Norvell called this a turning point for the 2021 campaign as the Seminoles went 5-3 in the back half of the schedule after an 0-4 start, beginning with a win over Orange – was fortune as it put Verse on FSU’s radar and positioned the Seminoles to be aggressive once the staff got word he was in the portal. Verse finished with just four tackles, but those tackles included various hustle plays where his athleticism was on full display. And he had 6 QB Pressures as well, with Pro Football Focus giving Verse an impressive game grade of 79.9 (higher than what future NFL Draft pick Jermaine Johnson had versus the same opponent a couple weeks later).
With all that in mind, it’s worth going back to that Albany at Syracuse game to see what FSU’s staff saw in Verse that day…
