Florida State has added another piece to its rebuilt defense, landing Duke transfer safety Ma’khi Jones for the 2026 season.
Jones arrives with three years of eligibility left and joins a Seminoles portal class that now includes 24 transfers overall, seven of them on defense. For Mike Norvell, the move is part of a much larger roster overhaul as Florida State tries to climb out of a rough stretch that has left the program with only seven wins over the last two seasons combined.
The Seminoles’ defense is a clear area of focus. Florida State finished No. 43 nationally in total defense last season, and Norvell has spent this portal cycle trying to reshape that side of the ball.
Second-year defensive coordinator Tony White, who built strong reputations at Syracuse and Nebraska, runs a 3-3-5 system that lines up well with Jones’ background in Duke’s 4-2-5 look. Jones is projected to work at rover and nickel in White’s scheme.
At Duke in 2025, Jones played in all 14 games and finished with 35 tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss, plus a fumble recovery in the Tony The Tiger Sun Bowl. His freshman season included a six-tackle game against Clemson, and he added at least three tackles in six other contests. Against Wake Forest, he logged a sack and a forced fumble, and in the ACC championship game he recorded a quarterback pressure.
Jones also brings a strong high school résumé. Before Duke, he spent his sophomore year at St.
Joseph Regional in Newark, N.J., then moved to Milton High School in Milton, Ga., for his junior and senior seasons. As a junior at Milton, he helped lead the team to a 7A state title while posting 73 tackles, five pass breakups and an interception.
He joins a defensive transfer group that also includes Mikai Gbayor from North Carolina, Jordan Sander from Texas State, CJ Richard Jr. from Illinois State, Karson Hobbs from Norte Dame, Chris Jones from Southern Miss, Rylan Kennedy from Texas A&M and Nehemiah Chandler from South Alabama.
Norvell’s pressure is not exactly subtle. USA Today columnist Austin Curtwright recently ranked him as the No. 13 coach in the conference, and former Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher added to the noise when he said “he would like his job title to be football coach again”.
In Other News...
Ernie Sims Keeps FSU Linebacker Recruiting Surge Rolling
Florida States linebacker room has been one of the more active areas of the roster since Ernie Sims was promoted to linebackers coach, and the early returns on the recruiting trail have matched the staffs urgency. Sims has already helped the Seminoles land several linebacker commitments while the program continues to mix in experienced transfers and high school additions, giving the position group both immediate depth and a longer-term pipeline.
The next name on the board is Israel Samuel, a 2028 three-star linebacker out of Texas whom Florida State has offered as the search for future talent keeps rolling. Samuel already has a crowded offer sheet that includes several national powers, and the Seminoles are working to get him on campus in the near future, with a visit still to be arranged. [Read more 🡒]
FSU Just Made Clear Who Will Set The Tone On Defense
Florida State has spent the summer looking for the kind of defensive voice that can steady a young group, and Ashlynd Barker has been at the center of that conversation. The veteran safety has drawn consistent praise from the coaching staff for his work ethic and the way he carries himself in the program, the sort of presence that matters even before the pads come on. With his final season approaching, Barker is positioned to be one of the Seminoles most important figures in the secondary.
His offseason standing got another boost with the programs Break the Rock honor, a nod to the leadership and standard-setting that coaches want from their upperclassmen. It fits the way Florida State has described Barker throughout the summer workout period, as someone who sets an example in the room and on the field. For a defense that will lean on experience wherever it can find it, Barkers role looks less like a supporting piece and more like a tone-setter. [Read more 🡒]