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Mike Norvell on FSU's addition of OL transfer Ja'Elyne Matthews: 'his upside and potential are through the roof'
Oct 5, 2024; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell reacts before the game against the Clemson Tigers at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images Melina Myers-Imagn Images

Transfer offensive lineman Ja'Elyne Matthews has signed with Florida State, head coach Mike Norvell announced Wednesday.

"I'm excited to have Ja'Elyne join our Nole Family," Norvell said. "He has all of his collegiate eligibility remaining and is coming here to compete. He has great size and athletic ability, and his upside and potential are through the roof. Ja'Elyne comes from a championship program in high school and is highly regarded throughout the country. I'm looking forward to seeing him reach his full potential here at Florida State."

Ja'Elyne Matthews | OL | 6-6 | 340 | Toms River, N.J. | Toms River High School North

Rated as four-star offensive lineman and No. 10 recruit in New Jersey by ESPN...ranked 16th in state by On3 and 19th among New Jersey high school prospects by 247Sports...led Toms River North to 40-2 record and three straight state championships from 2022-24...Named Navy All-American after helping Mariners to 14-0 record in senior season...Toms River North racked up over 4,800 yards of offense and 64 touchdowns in 2024...added 36 tackles with 5.0 tackles for loss on defense...Blocked for offense that gained more than 5,000 yards of offense in 2023 championship season...had 79 tackles, 15.0 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks as junior...named first-team all-state by NJ.com and first-team All Short by Asbury Park Press...recorded 45 tackles, 5.0 for loss with 2.0 sacks, and one fumble recovery while also playing on offensive line during freshman season at Toms River North...transferred to Florida State after spending spring 2025 with Rutgers.

Florida State's full 2025 signing class is below:

FLORIDA STATE FOOTBALL 2025 SIGNING CLASS

Name                               Pos.  Ht.  Wt.       Hometown                                                                      High School/Previous Schools

Shamar Arnoux              DB     6-2  192       Fort Lauderdale, Fla.                                                                          Carrollton HS (Ga.)

Jayvan Boggs                      WR    6-1  204       Cocoa, Fla.                                                                                                            Cocoa HS

Tommy Castellanos       QB     5-11 201       Waycross, Ga.                                                   Ware County HS/UCF/Boston College

Tyeland Coleman           DL     6-4  301       Terry, Miss.                                                             Terry HS/Northwest Mississippi CC

Darryll Desir                       DL     6-5  261       Miami, Fla.                                                                                                        Norland HS

Mandrell Desir               DL     6-4  265       Miami, Fla.                                                                                                        Norland HS

Deamontae Diggs          DL     6-5  258       McKeesport, Pa.            McKeesport Area HS/Youngstown State/Coastal Carolina

Markeston Douglas       TE      6-5  270       Brownsville, Tenn.                                                      Haywood HS/FSU/Arizona State

Tae'Shaun Gelsey          WR    6-4  235       Jacksonville, Fla.                                                                                            Riverside HS

Gunnar Hansen                 OL     6-5  330       Boca Raton, Fla.                                                      St. Thomas Aquinas HS/Vanderbilt

L A Jessie Harrold              DL     6-5  247       Tampa, Fla.                                                                                                        Gaither HS

Elijah Herring                     LB      6-2  235       Murfreesboro, Tenn.                                            Riverdale HS/Tennessee/Memphis

Jayson Jenkins                   DL     6-6  270       Bordentown, N.J.                                                                Notre Dame HS/Tennessee

Jaylen King                         QB     6-3  210       Folkston, Ga.                                              Charlton County HS/Gardner-Webb/ETSU

Ousmane Kromah             RB     6-1  215       Leesburg, Ga.                                                                                             Lee County HS

Caleb LaVallee                   LB      6-1  228       Marietta, Ga.                                                       Whitefield Academy/North Carolina

Tylon Lee                            DL     6-4  277       Pace, Fla.                                                                                                                 Pace HS

Chase Loftin                       TE      6-6  223       Omaha, Neb.                                                                                          Millard South HS

Teriq Mallory                     WR    6-5  190       New Haven, Conn.                                                                             Cheshire Academy

Ja'Elyne Matthews          OL     6-6  340       Toms River, N.J.                                                                            Toms River HS North

Deante McCray                 DL     6-4  274       Jacksonville, Fla.                                                   Sandalwood HS/Western Kentucky

Adrian Medley                  OL     6-5  305       Pensacola, Fla.                                                                                     Pensacola HS/UCF

Mario Nash Jr.                   OL     6-4  270       De Kalb, Miss.                                                                                     Kemper County HS

Luke Petitbon                    OL     6-2  303       Annapolis, Md.                                                         Gonzaga College HS/Wake Forest

Micah Pettus                     OL     6-7  355       Harvest, Ala.                                                                       James Clemens HS/Ole Miss

Randy Pittman Jr.             TE      6-2  237       Panama City, Fla.                                                                                      Mosley HS/UCF

Sean Poret                         OL     6-5  270       Atlanta, Ga.                                                                                                  Riverwood HS

Ethan Pritchard                LB      6-2  219       Sanford, Fla.                                                                                                   Seminole HS

Max Redmon                    DB     6-1  196       West Palm Beach, Fla.                                                                  Cardinal Newman HS

Brunno Reus                     P/K    6-0  190       Sarasota, Fla.                                                                                                      Venice HS

Duce Robinson                 WR    6-6  222       Phoenix, Ariz.                                                              Pinnacle HS/Southern California

Kevin Sperry                     QB     6-1  212       Denton, Texas                                                                                                      Guyer HS

Zae Thomas Jr.                 DB     6-2  190       Fort Lauderdale, Fla.                                                                         American Heritage

Stefon Thompson            LB      6-1  240       Long Island, N.Y.                                                              Vance HS/Syracuse/Nebraska

Squirrel White                  WR    5-10 170       Birmingham, Ala.                                                            Clay-Chalkville HS/Tennessee

James Williams                 DL     6-6  262       Kansas City, Mo.                                 Park Hill South HS/Iowa Central CC/Nebraska

Jeremiah Wilson               DB     5-10 185       Kissimmee, Fla.                                                              Osceola HS/Syracuse/Houston

Kevin Wynn                       DL     6-2  343       Greensboro, Ga.                                                                                 Greene County HS

*release courtesy of FSU Athletics

Who Has Florida State Landed During The Spring Window?

Quarterback Jaylen King, Junior (East Tennessee State)

Offensive Tackle Ja'Elyne Matthews, Freshman (Rutgers)

Cornerback Jeremiah Wilson, Senior (Houston)

Who Has Entered The Transfer Portal From Florida State During The Spring Window?

Quarterback Trever Jackson, Redshirt Freshman (transferred to Arkansas)

Wide Receiver Hykeem Williams, Junior (transferred to Colorado)

Wide Receiver Jordan Scott, Junior (transferred to Maryland)

Wide Receiver Jalen Brown, Redshirt Sophomore (Dismissed)

Offensive Lineman TJ Ferguson, Redshirt Senior

Offensive Lineman Jaylen Early, Redshirt Junior (transferred to Missouri)

Defensive End Aaron Hester, Redshirt Junior (transferred to Liberty)

Defensive Tackle D'Nas White, Redshirt Freshman

Linebacker Timir Hickman-Collins, Redshirt Freshman

Who Does Florida State Have At Offensive Line For The 2025 Season?

Redshirt Senior Luke Petitbon

Redshirt Senior Gunnar Hansen

Redshirt Senior Micah Pettus

Redshirt Senior Adrian Medley

Redshirt Senior Richie Leonard IV

Redshirt Senior Jacob Rizy

Redshirt Senior Bryson Estes

Redshirt Sophomore Lucas Simmons

Redshirt Sophomore Andre' Otto

Redshirt Freshman Tye Hylton

Redshirt Freshman Jon Daniels

Redshirt Freshman Manasse Itete

Redshirt Freshman Jayden Todd

True Freshman Mario Nash Jr.

True Freshman Sean Poret

True Freshman Chastan Brown

True Freshman Sandman Thompson

This article first appeared on Florida State Seminoles on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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