Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 34-17vs New Mexico State | 6 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 9 tackles |
| Wk 1 | L 24-27vs SMU | 9 | 5 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 9 tackles |
| Total | 15 | 8 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
#10
Chris Jones
Junior linebacker for Florida State. 2026: 2 games with a box-score line.
6′1″ · 231 lb · Byram, MS · Hartfield Academy
CFB Index 84 · #36 of 583 LBsHigh confidenceTransferred Southern Miss → Florida State for 2026
CFB Index
A single number blending on-field production (an EPA-based value lane) with box-score output for this player's position.
0-100, scaled within each position's own cohort — not directly comparable across positions.
How he plays
Is steady in every phase without a signature trait.
QB hurries: 99th percentile.
The full scouting readThe numbers
15
tackles · 2026
1 TFL
2 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 9 tackles, 1 TFL, vs SMU
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
3 linebacker for Florida State. 2026: 2 games with a box-score line.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Southern Miss in 2023.
- Transferred from Southern Miss to Florida State in 2026.
Chris Jones
Is steady in every phase without a signature trait. Across three seasons and two programs, three head coaches: Reed Stringer, Charles Huff and Mike Norvell. In 2025 the league put his name on paper for the first time: All-Sun Belt. The receipt: 9 tackles, 1 TFL against SMU — Week 1, 2026.
15 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- recognition record
- game log
His career
Nobody recruited him. He earned the honors anyway.
2023
- Signed with Southern Miss3-star out of Byhalia
202513 games
- All-Sun Beltfirst
2026
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
2 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
🥈
ALL-SUN BELT · 1ST TEAM
All-Sun Belt 1st team (2025)
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
1 coach2024–2026
Florida State
Played his entire career under Mike Norvell.
Where He Ended Up · Transfer
Transferred to Florida State
2025Southern Miss
2026Florida State
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2024Southern Miss1-11HC: Reed Stringer · Run-leaning, slow tempo
2025Southern Miss7-6HC: Charles Huff · Balanced
2026Florida State1-1HC: Mike Norvell · Run-heavy
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
High confidence
Elite: qb hurries (99th percentile).
Box-score production (6)
Percentiles are versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score production. There are no play-by-play efficiency bars here: CFBD's play-value model credits offensive players only, so no defensive EPA exists to rank.
Splits & context
Splits
Per-game splits
Through 2 games: 7.5 TKL/g, 0.5 TFL/g, 0.0 SACK/g, 0.0 PD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Mike Norvell
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
Tackle volume for the position at the early end of the ladder.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Florida State | 15 | 8 | 1.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2025 | Southern Miss | 132 | 49 | 9.5 | 3.5 | 2 | 1 | -- |
| 2024 | Southern Miss | 46 | 25 | 2.5 | 1.0 | 1 | 1 | -- |
| Career | 193 | 82 | 13.0 | 4.5 | 3 | 2 | -- |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 34–17
6 TOT · 3 SOLO
With A. Daniels — 202 yds · 1 TD · 1 INT · QBR 72.0 · 30 rush yds (8 car) · 1 TD · S. Singleton — 42 rush yds (9 car) · 1 TD
Game log
How he plays
Play style
Solid in every phase without a signature dimension.
CFB Index positional classification
DNA match
Player DNA
Balanced Linebacker
Solid in every phase without a signature dimension.
LB
His 2026 production profile sits closest to Whit Weeks’s 2025 season.
65%match
Matches Whit on
Tackle volume
Height
Differs from Whit on
Hurry rate (higher)
Sack rate (lower)
Weight (higher)
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Matthew Fobbs-White's junior season at Baylor (2025).
80%match
Matches Matthew on
Weight
TFL rate
Hurry rate
Differs from Matthew on
Height (lower)
Player DNA
Players who play like Chris Jones
Background
BEFORE FSU: Played 22 games with 13 starts in two seasons with Southern Miss…tallied 180 tackles, 12.0 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, two interceptions and three pass breakups in Hattiesburg…started all 13 games for USM in 2025 with 134 tackles, 9.5 TFL, 3.5 sacks, one forced...
The linebacker corps · Florida State
- #10Chris Jones132 tackles · 2025
- #20Blake Nichelson43 tackles · 2025
- #9Omar Graham Jr.38 tackles · 2025
- #28Mikai Gbayor36 tackles · 2025
- #41A.J. Cottrill15 tackles · 2025
9 more on the roster · Florida State team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology