As hard as it was to go through at the time, the quarantine of 2020 wound up being a blessing of sorts for Jared Verse.

Florida State's newest defensive end talked to the media on Tuesday about what he was able to accomplish during those "nine to 10 months" he was at home with his parents. And how, ultimately, it changed the direction of his life.

When he signed with Albany as a lightly regarded prospect out of Pennsylvania, Verse was 6-foot-3 and about 210 pounds. When he got back to campus, he was a 240-pound wrecking ball of a defensive end.

"I gained 30 pounds of muscle just by working out a lot," Verse said. "My dad went out and bought a bunch of workout equipment. We stocked up on a lot of different proteins and everything, and I just gained a lot of muscle, a lot of strength during that whole time."

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It was definitely a lot of protein.

"Every morning, I would make like the same breakfast," Verse said. "Eggs, bacon, ham, potatoes, yogurt, cereal. Lunch was like a sandwich. And my mom or dad would make like meatloaf or ham, like a bigger protein-filled dinner. And I'd have a snack late at night and my protein shakes throughout the day."

All that eating and lifting has paid off in a big way for Verse, who was one of the best defensive players in all of FCS this past season. It was such an impressive year -- he was credited with 53 tackles, 10.5 sacks and 13 quarterback hurries -- that Verse became one of the most coveted entries into the transfer portal this offseason.

He said the process took him by surprise.

Verse wasn't necessarily shocked that he received interest after announcing his intentions to transfer, but for a kid who was barely recruited out of high school, he admits it was a bit startling at first.

"I never had any doubt in my ability," Verse said. "It was a shock, though, to see all these schools that every high-schooler dreams of coming at them come at you. ... The best way to describe it is overwhelming

"Coming out of high school, I wasn't really highly recruited. But then coming out of the transfer portal, a lot of colleges came at me in such a short amount of time. My family had to help me. I leaned on them for a lot of support to kind of help me organize everything."

In the end, he says, he chose Florida State over more than 35 other schools for a a few different reasons.

First and foremost: Mike Norvell and the FSU coaching staff.

"Coach Norvell and Coach J.P. (defensive ends coach John Papuchis) got me swayed completely," Verse said. "Sitting down with them, seeing Coach Norvell's vision, what Coach JP could do for me, what I could do for the program. That's definitely what swayed my decision."

As did a conversation he had with another transfer defensive end.

On his official visit to Florida State, Verse sat down for an hour and talked with Jermaine Johnson, who transferred from Georgia in 2021 and became the ACC Defensive Player of the Year.

Verse said his talk with Johnson was an eye-opening one. And one that ultimately helped him make his decision.

"He told me about his decision to come here," Verse said. "He believed in Coach Norvell, his vision. He was a truthful guy. He didn't lie to me at all. He told me the good, the bad, everything about Florida State -- what he liked, what he didn't like. The fact that a player was that honest with me, where most other schools might have just been trying to get me there, he kind of told me everything."

Verse has only been in Tallahassee for about a week. So he said he hasn't been able to build up much of a relationship with his new teammates. He hasn't gotten to experience all of the culture of Norvell's program.

But he has gotten his first taste of the Tour of Duty, and it certainly grabbed his attention.

"People told me it was hard," Verse said. "But being in it is a whole different conversation. The high intensity, the perfection ... you're not supposed to be perfect, but you're supposed to try your hardest. And that's something I really love.

"I've gotten some really good work in with (the FSU strength staff) and I feel like being here is going to bring me to that next level."

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