Former FSU star Jared Verse wins NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in landslide

Former FSU star Jared Verse didn’t just win the 2024 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award on Thursday, he ran away with the honor.

The Los Angeles Rams outside linebacker grabbed 37 first-place votes and 427 points in voting by 50 Associated Press sports writers. The next highest vote-getter was Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Quinyon Mitchell, and he finished with nine first-place votes and 239 points.

Verse’s Rams teammate Braden Fiske, another former Florida State star, came in third in the voting with 96 total points and one first-place vote. Eagles cornerback Cooper DeJean and Miami Dolphins pass-rusher Chop Robinson rounded out the top five.

Verse joins FSU great Peter Boulware as the only two Seminoles to win the prestigious award; Boulware claimed the honor in 1997.

Verse, who was the No. 19 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, wasted no time making an impact when he arrived in the National Football League, registering a sack in his very first game. And even though he finished with just 4.5 sacks on the year — compared to 8.5 by Fiske — the former FSU star racked up 76 quarterback pressures, which ranked fourth in the league, according to Next Gen Stats.

Verse, who started his college career at Albany, led Florida State in sacks during the 2022 and 2023 seasons. He finished his two-year FSU career with 18 sacks and 29.5 tackles for loss.

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