DaJohn Yarborough's coming announcement is Herb Hand’s last chance to save face

Florida State hasn’t had the most exciting 2027 recruiting cycle. With just 13 commits, Florida State ranks No. 59 in the country. It seems the program has forgone any hope of a large class, so it’s picking its spots and saving its money for a few blue-chip fights that general manager John Garrett truly wants to win. 

It would seem that one of those fights is for four-star interior offensive lineman DaJohn Yaraborough, who is set to make his commitment announcement on Saturday at 6:00 p.m. ET, and potentially provide the splash FSU has been lacking. Yarborough is a composite four-star from Chandler, Arizona, and though he ranks outside the top 400 nationally, he has the size to be a plug-and-play contributor early in his career at guard. 

Even a day out, Yarborough’s recruitment appears wide open with all four programs: Cal, Florida State, Mississippi State, and Washington, still truly in the mix to land him. 

4-star OL target DaJohn Yarborough set to announce commitment on Saturday

Florida State’s offensive line had eroded to a point that in 2025, Herb Hand’s first year reuniting with Mike Norvell as Florida State’s offensive line coach after their time together at Tulsa nearly two decades ago, the Seminoles brought in an entire group of transfers to be a full stop-gap offensive line. 

Well, that group of transfers has all since graduated, so once again, Hand and FSU need a full new starting five. This time, it appears that only four of the five will be first-year transfers, which I guess is what you call progress. 

Florida State desperately needs to build a pipeline of homegrown offensive linemen. There are a few close to playing time: redshirt junior Andre Otto is the presumptive starting left guard, redshirt sophomore Jonathan Daniels is in the mix at right tackle, though likely behind transfers Chimdia Nwaiwu and Nate Pabst, and redshirt freshman Chavez Thompson is expected to back up Bradyn Welch-Joiner at center and could start in certain O-line iterations. 

Those are all positive developments, especially Thompson’s growth from an in-state three-star in the 2025 class, arriving about the same time as Hand. Additionally, with Hand’s help, Florida State added five offensive linemen in the 2026 class, a desperately needed infusion of young talent. Still, the 2027 class is without a single offensive line commit and will almost certainly be left that way on signing day if Yarborough doesn’t put on the garnet and gold hat on Friday. 

Herb Hand needs to prove he can land a foundational piece for the O-line

Hand was brought in to fix the offensive line. He’s made it better, no doubt, but only through the Transfer Portal and with far-off developmental recruits who aren’t ready to see the field this year and likely won’t in 2027 either. At 6-foot-5, 340 pounds, Yaraborough is the closest thing to a ready-made contributor FSU has sniffed on the recruiting trail since Hand arrived, and missing out on him with no backup plan will legitimately set things back in that room. It will also likely send the staff back into the portal with just as long a shopping list as in years past. 

That is, of course, assuming the same staff is in place. That’s not just Norvell, who is on a blisteringly hot seat, but the rest of his assistants, whose futures are likely tied closely to his. Winning games in 2026 isn’t the only thing Norvell and his staff need to do to convince the administration they deserve another year. They also, with the guidance of general manager John Garrett, who is really pulling the strings with this roster and the 2027 class, need to have at least a few solid pieces locked up to cling to. 

In many ways, the 2027 class is a lost cause for FSU. Norvell is likely gone, and recruits know it, so only a select few are signing on. It’s safe to assume those who do are favorites of the front office, which I would expect to remain in place beyond Norvell’s demise. In that case, too, Yarborough looms quite large. Not only would this win prove that Hand can get the guys Garrett and the front office desire, but if they do decide to go in another direction, it would set up the next offensive line coach with the type of foundational piece the Noles have sorely lacked in the trenches.

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