In all likelihood, between 2025 and 2026, Florida State will have just one homegrown player among its 10 different offensive line starters. There may not be a position that is more difficult or costly to address on the transfer market than the O-line, but the Seminoles have repeatedly been forced into the portal to address the trenches.
Florida State’s efforts to solve that problem in the 2027 class, after adding five offensive linemen in the 2026 cycle, have gone for naught. Between Mike Norvell, offensive line coach Herb Hand, and general manager John Garrett, the Seminoles' brass have failed to land any offensive linemen in their 13-player, 59th-ranked class thus far, and after missing on four-star target DaJohn Yarborough on Saturday night, there’s little hope one is on the way.
The 6-foot-5, 340-pound interior offensive lineman from Arizona chose Cal over Florida State, Washington, and Mississippi State. Ranked No. 426 overall in the 2027 class by 247Sports composite and No. 25 among interior offensive linemen, his recruitment represented a rare opportunity for FSU to bring a blue-chip player to Tallahassee.
DaJohn Yaraborough picks Cal over FSU, leaves Noles out of O-line options
It’s hyperbolic to say that any development in the 2027 recruiting class is a disaster for Florida State. Largely, from the donor base to the newly hired front office led by Garrett, they’ve punted on the class. The uncertainty surrounding Norvell’s future has scared off top recruits, not to mention that Norvell’s lack of in-state recruiting efforts has seemingly eroded relationships in Florida, and the program needs to keep money aside to, most likely, pay Norvell’s $50+ million buyout at some point within the next 5-6 months.
By the time the 13 commits the Noles reach the early signing period this upcoming December, there’s a good chance Norvell is no longer the head coach in Tallahassee.
They have presumably been sold on a long-term vision by Garrett, who is likely to survive the end of Norvell’s tenure and have a hand in hiring the next head coach. Even then, depending on who the next hire is and how much of his previous roster he plans to import, there’s no guarantee they stay in the class. Beyond that, the likelihood they stay on the FSU roster long enough to actually see the field is pretty slim.
Yet, with all of that being said, this loss has to sting. It’s the closest thing to a disaster you could have in the ‘27 cycle because of the need at the position, the scarcity of targets legitimately considering FSU, the lack of a backup plan, and the cost of bringing in offensive linemen through the portal.
There may not be a better investment in college football than paying for blue-chip offensive line talent, which tends to pan out at a much higher rate than any other position and see the field sooner. That’s why high school recruiting is still the primary apparatus for building an offensive line, even for coaches like Mario Cristobal who certainly isn’t afraid of paying a premium for transfer talent.
Florida State is being deliberate about the swings it takes in 2027. In many cases, it has appeared as though Garrett has been happy to submit a slightly below-market offer, particularly to recruits Norvell specifically covets, and say ‘take it or leave it.’ Maybe that was the case with Yarborough, but this looked to be one of the battles Garrett and the front office were willing to fight full force, and they still got beat.
That’s why Florida State needs to make a decision one way or the other on Norvell this year. A program can survive one offseason in the wilderness, and Indiana proved that the right coach can rebuild any program with proper investment. But there’s no reason to keep digging the hole deeper for either Norvell or, more likely, his successor, to climb out of.
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