Video footage of a phone call between Florida State teammates Jared Verse and Braden Fiske, who have been reunited on the L.A. Rams, has gone viral.
Video Footage Goes Viral
Here is the video:
Reunited Teammates
Verse and Fiske played together on Florida State last year. They led a stout defense on a Seminoles squad that went undefeated in the regular season but was controversially spurned by the college football playoff selection committee.
Jared Verse — L.A. Rams First-Round Selection
23-year-old Jared Verse played the 2022 and 2023 college football seasons at Florida State, and in both years he was a first-team All-American. He had nine sacks in both seasons. In his final season at FSU, he had 41 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, and a forced fumble.
Verse is 6’4″ and weighs 260 lbs.
Although Verse had a year of college eligibility left, he declared for the NFL Draft on December 19, 2023.
Mel Kiper, Jr. rated Verse as the best defensive end available in the draft. Kiper did not believe Verse would be available anywhere below the No. 15 or No. 16 positions.
NFL.com predicted Verse would go to the Denver Broncos with the No. 12 overall pick.
The Rams’ selection of Verse has been widely praised. including by the likes of Bill Belichick.
Verse is in line to sign a four-year $15.1 million deal, with a $7.8 million signing bonus.
Braden Fiske — L.A. Rams Second-Round Selection
The Rams traded up to get Braden Fiske.
The Rams had been slotted to pick at No. 52 overall in the second round but traded up to get the No. 39 pick. Specifically, the Rams received the No. 39 selection from the Carolina Panthers in exchange for the No. 52 pick, the No. 155 pick, and a 2025 second-round pick.
Fiske began his career at Western Michigan and then transferred to Florida State. He is 6’3″ and 292 lbs. He ran an official 4.78-second 40-yard dash at the 2024 combine. During the 2023 season, Fiske had 43 tackles and six sacks.
With the retirement of legendary Aaron Donald, it made sense for L.A. to pick a defensive tackle, especially one as athletic as Fiske, who is viewed as having considerable upside.
Sports Illustrated reported on the close connection between Fiske and his Seminoles teammate, Verse, quoting from their viral call:
“‘I can’t wait to play with you again,’ Verse told Fiske. ‘Congratulations man, I’m so proud of you.’
“‘Aw, s–t, bro,’ Fiske replied. ‘I can’t wait, bro.’
“No matter how its class turns out, Los Angeles gets an A+ for team chemistry.”
Fiske is expected to sign a four-year $8 million deal, with a $2.7 million signing bonus.
The reunion of Verse and Fiske on the Rams defense has L.A. fans excited about the team’s defense going forward.
Already, Verse and Fiske are projected as starters on the L.A. Rams depth chart.
Although neither Verse nor Fiske are expected to “replace” the legendary Aaron Donald, the acquisition of the two FSU standouts certainly mitigates the damage caused by Donald’s retirement.
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