Florida State added depth at the quarterback position on Saturday with the commitment of East Tennessee State transfer Jaylen King. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound dual-threat spent last season leading the Buccaneer offense with 10 starts. King stated in his post-commitment comments that he is used to playing in a similar style of offense as new OC Gus Malzahn will be running at FSU, so he anticipates he will be a good fit and pick things up quickly.
His passing numbers won’t wow you with a 52.3% completion percentage, 1,541 yards, and 9 touchdowns to 11 interceptions. However, King has put up over 500 (sack-adjusted) rushing yards in each of the past two seasons stemming back to his time at Gardner Webb. King has the size and mobility you want in this offense if the passing can be cleaned up. He averaged 5.6 yards per carry last season at ETSU with 5 touchdowns and only 2 fumbles in 92 carries. King has played over 1,1100 snaps, so he also brings a decent level of experience for a player with multiple years of eligibility remaining.
FSU’s quarterback depth took a hit with Trever Jackson hitting the portal. With Thomas Castellanos being one and done and the Noles lacking a current 2026 commit at the position, this feels like a future insurance policy. King has three seasons to play two, so he could redshirt this year as playing time would be slim anyway, and then have two seasons to compete for the job or serve as a backup. At a minimum, FSU gets additional depth at the position and could create some packages to leverage his athletic ability.
The South Georgia native hails from Folkston, Georgia where he played at Charlton County High School. I played against his high school many years ago and their logo is the FSU spear and their band plays the War Chant, so maybe this was meant to be. King spent time camping at FSU throughout high school, so he was familiar with the program. King arrived for his visit on Saturday and committed the same day. Thanks for reading and Go Noles!
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