Florida State’s search for offensive line help in the 2027 class took another hit Saturday night, and this one landed in a spot the Seminoles can least afford to miss.
DaJohn Yarborough, a 6-foot-5, 340-pound interior offensive lineman from Arizona, chose Cal over Florida State, Washington and Mississippi State. For FSU, it was a tough miss on one of the few blue-chip linemen still seriously in play. Yarborough is ranked No. 426 overall in the 2027 class by the 247Sports composite and No. 25 among interior offensive linemen.
The bigger problem is what the miss says about where Florida State stands with the position group as a whole. In all likelihood, between 2025 and 2026, the Seminoles will have just one homegrown player among their 10 different offensive line starters. That’s the reality of a program that has leaned hard on the transfer market to patch up the trenches, even though offensive line is one of the hardest and most expensive positions to solve that way.
And right now, the 2027 class isn’t offering much relief. Florida State has added five offensive linemen in the 2026 cycle, but in its 13-player class for 2027, the Seminoles still haven’t landed a single offensive lineman. After missing on Yarborough, there’s little reason to think help is on the way soon.
That’s especially concerning because the recruitment was one of the rare chances for Florida State to bring a true difference-maker to Tallahassee. Instead, the Seminoles came up empty again.
The larger picture around the class is messy, too. The uncertainty around Mike Norvell’s future has clearly made life harder on the recruiting trail, and the program’s lack of in-state recruiting effort has also chipped away at relationships in Florida. On top of that, the school appears to be keeping money available for Norvell’s $50+ million buyout, which could come into play within the next 5-6 months.
By the time Florida State gets to the early signing period in December, there’s a real chance Norvell is no longer the coach in charge. The 13 players committed to the class may have been sold on a long-term plan from general manager John Garrett, who is expected to survive Norvell and help hire the next head coach.
Even then, nothing is guaranteed. A new coach could want to bring in his own roster, and there’s no promise those recruits would stick around long enough to matter on the field.
Still, this miss hurts. It’s hard to find a more damaging outcome in the 2027 cycle for Florida State, given the need at offensive line, the lack of other realistic targets, the absence of a clear backup plan and the cost of trying to fix the position through the portal.
Blue-chip offensive line talent is one of the best bets in college football. Those players tend to hit at a higher rate than most others and get on the field faster, which is why high school recruiting remains the main way to build up front, even for programs willing to pay big in the transfer market.
Florida State has been selective with its 2027 swings, and at times it has looked as if Garrett was comfortable offering a little below market and telling recruits to take it or leave it. Maybe that was the case with Yarborough. But this looked like one of the battles the Seminoles were ready to push on, and they still lost.
That’s why the program has to make a call on Norvell this year. One rough offseason can be survived. But there’s no reason to keep digging the hole deeper for Norvell or, more likely, the coach who follows him.
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