Once Jayden Daniels hit the transfer portal, everything was in play for Arizona State. A talented defense on one side, but with a three-year starting quarterback heading for the exit, the bottom fell out of the offense. The Sun Devils lost key players all over the field to transfer. Questions about what was in store during the 2022 season grew louder and more frequent.

Arizona State went through spring ball with Alabama transfer Paul Tyson and fourth-year man Trenton Bourguet battling for the starting spot. The quarterback room felt incomplete. ASU exited the spring period absent a definitive starter.

It probably found one on Thursday.

Emory Jones, a transfer from Florida, has committed to the Sun Devils. A starter in 12 games last season for the Gators and a former top-100 recruit, Jones has two seasons to play for the Sun Devils.

Jones appeared in 37 games over his four seasons at Florida. The 6-foot-2 dual-threat quarterback threw for 2,734 yards last season, totaling 19 touchdowns against 13 interceptions while completing 67.5% of his passes. He also ran for 758 yards and an additional four rushing scores. Jones led the Gators as well as all SEC quarterbacks in rushing yards.

He should provide some stability to the ASU offense and enter as the likely starter. Prior to his arrival, Arizona State was perceived to have one of the weakest quarterback rooms in the conference. It was that perception that led to transfer departures from wideouts like Ricky Pearsall and LV Bunkley-Shelton.

While ASU will still need to find a way to replace the receiver depth it lost, there’s just no underscoring how big a win Jones’ commitment is for ASU, for head coach Herm Edwards, and for first-year offensive coordinator Glenn Thomas.

In Jones, Edwards has a nationally-known quarterback picking him. ASU now has a guy at quarterback other players around the sport will know. As it looks to rebuild the offensive depth at the skill positions, we’ll see just how impactful that might be.

Jones will need to hone his decision-making a bit—only Max Johnson had more turnover-worthy plays, as tracked by PFF, among SEC quarterbacks last season—but his playmaking ability looks awfully similar to what ASU lost in Daniels.

It also serves as something of a reversal of fortunes on the NIL front. According to reports, Jones is expected to work with a soon-to-launch NIL collective in the area that could see him earn upwards of $75,000 in marketing opportunities.

The move also keeps Arizona State at pace with the rest of a Pac-12 South division that has quickly become quite quarterback-heavy. Utah, the defending league champions, boasts Cameron Rising. UCLA brings back Dorian Thompson-Robinson. USC added Caleb Williams and Arizona added 2021 Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year Jayden de Laura.

To try and replicate last season’s success, Arizona State was going to need to find a way to complement what should be a stout defense. Jones will need to learn the new system without a spring period to work in, but he’s played a lot of ball in the toughest conference in football.