Blue-chip quarterback Emory Jones picks Florida over Florida State

A late push for four-star 2018 quarterback Emory Jones proved futile for Florida State as Jones announced Wednesday that he will be signing with the Florida Gators.

Jones, the No. 4 dual-threat quarterback and No. 40 overall player in the 2018 recruiting class, picked the Gators over the Seminoles, leaving FSU still without a 2018 quarterback committed or signed.

Jones entered the early signing period as an Ohio State commit, but no one believed he would land there with the decision sitting firmly between FSU and UF heading into Wednesday.

Monday saw some buzz trending towards UF as crystal balls for the Gators came pouring in, but Tuesday night into Wednesday morning saw an increase in people in the know saying they think it will be FSU.

To say this was a last-minute pitch to Jones from Taggart may still not be doing it justice. The Franklin (Ga.) Heard County HS product did not receive an offer from FSU until Taggart arrived and had not visited until he took an official this past weekend to Tallahassee immediately after his official visit to Florida.

Meanwhile, new Florida head coach Dan Mullen was the first coach to offer Jones a scholarship when he was at Mississippi State and had the ability to make a pledge of early playing time that Taggart does not.

With the miss on Jones, FSU’s 2018 quarterback options are dwindling. Three-star quarterback Michael Penix Jr. has an offer from FSU, but it’s unsure if it is committable as the crystal ball sits firmly in Indiana’s favor. If not Penix, Taggart and FSU will have to rely on potentially landing one of the 2018 quarterbacks not participating in the early signing period.

At the top of that list? Four-star dual-threat QB James Foster.

For all your updates surrounding Florida State’s signees and potential signees this week, follow along on Tomahawk Nation’s Early Signing Period tracker.