BREAKING: Seminoles continue to beef up offensive line through NCAA Transfer Portal
Another day, another quality addition to Florida State's offensive line in 2023.
On Tuesday afternoon, former Auburn offensive lineman Keiondre Jones announced his commitment to the Seminoles over UCF and others on social media. He's the third transfer upfront to pledge to the program in as many days.
Jones spent four years at Auburn, where he appeared in 36 games with 22 starts. He started all 12 games for the Tigers in 2021 but didn't earn consistent playing time this season. Jones appeared in 11 games but only started twice. The inconsistency in snaps led to a downturn in play as he recorded a career-low 53.0 PFF Grade in 334 snaps.
Regardless of his struggles this year, there is still a lot of upside in Jones' skillset and the possibility of a resurgence in Tallahassee. During his season as a full-time starter in 2021, he graded out at 71.1 according to PFF, including a 77.5 mark as a pass blocker and 68.7 as a run blocker in 728 total snaps.
The Georgia native has two years of eligibility remaining to play at the collegiate level. Jones will probably need to trim up his frame slightly over the offseason as he's listed at 6-foot-4, 340-pounds. That shouldn't an issue under director of strength and conditioning, Josh Storms.
Florida State is set to lose three starters at the conclusion of the season, including both guards (Dillan Gibbons, D'Mitri Emmanuel, Jazston Turnetine). With the addition of Jones as well as former Colorado guard Casey Roddick and former UTEP tackle Jeremiah Byers, the Seminoles have capable replacements coming in at all three positions.
There's a possibility that the coaching staff pushes for former Miami offensive lineman John Campbell as well. Plus, four-star offensive tackle Lucas Simmons is committed in the 2023 class and FSU is among the finalists for three-star offensive lineman Chris Otto.
Outside of Jones, Roddick, and Byers, there are multiple other players on Florida State's roster that will be battling for starting jobs in Tallahassee. Some of the Seminoles that will be in the mix up front are redshirt junior Bless Harris, redshirt sophomore Robert Scott, and redshirt sophomore Darius Washington, redshirt sophomore Maurice Smith, redshirt freshman Bryson Estes, true freshman Julian Armella, true freshman Jaylen Early, and true freshman Kanaya Charlton.
The 6-foot-4, 340-pound offensive lineman is the sixth transfer to commit to Florida State. The Seminoles have also landed former Miami defensive tackle Darrell Jackson, former South Carolina tight end Jaheim Bell, former Shorter tight end Kyle Morlock, former Colorado offensive lineman Casey Roddick, and former UTEP offensive lineman Jeremiah Byers.
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