FSU Football Transfer Expects to Play Multiple Positions in 2026

Tallahassee, Fla. – When Florida State coaches mapped out their off-season plan to re-tool the front seven, Southern Miss transfer Chris Jones, Jr. quickly rose to the top of the board. The 6-foot-2, 230-pound linebacker, who signed with the Seminoles after initially pledging to Ole Miss, says the coaching staff has already informed him that versatility will be his ticket onto the field in 2026.

“I’m trying to learn both positions: the Mike and the Will,” Jones said following Wednesday’s practice. “I’m a sideline-to-sideline backer, so I feel like they’re going to put me in positions to make plays in that aspect.”

Jones’ desire to master multiple spots aligns with defensive coordinator Tony White’s 3-3-5 scheme, a system predicated on speed and disguise that asks linebackers to cover ground from hash to hash. After logging 135 tackles—among the top 10 in the FBS last season—9.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, an interception, and a forced fumble at Southern Miss, the three-star transfer believes he can replicate that production inside the ACC.

“Coach Sims doesn’t want me to just learn one position; he wants me to learn both,” Jones said of new linebackers coach Ernie Sims, the former FSU All-American and first-round draft pick. “With White’s defense, it allows you to run sideline to sideline. He can put me at Jack, he can put me at Mike, he can put me at Will, and just give me a chance to be all over the field and make plays.”

The Seminoles parted ways with longtime assistant John Papuchis this off-season, promoting Sims to oversee the linebacker room. Jones cited his fast-developing relationship with Sims and head coach Mike Norvell as the primary reason he flipped from his home-state Rebels to the ‘Noles.

“I felt like Florida State was home, and Coach Ernie Sims is a legend here,” Jones said. “We built a great relationship, and that’s really the main reason I came here.”

In two seasons with the Golden Eagles, Jones appeared in 22 games with 13 starts, flashing the instincts and acceleration Florida State lacked during a disappointing 2025 campaign. If the junior can translate his FBS-leading tackle numbers into consistent impact plays, FSU’s front seven could rebound in a hurry.

For a defense built on pressure, pace, and multiplicity, a hybrid linebacker who refuses to be boxed into a single role may be exactly what the Seminoles ordered.