Mike Norvell and Florida State must close this open recruiting race for DaJohn Yarborough

Florida State has a lot of needs in this 2027 recruiting class and its offensive line is probably not as high as others since the Seminoles took five offensive linemen in the 2026 class, but currently they have no pledges from trench warriors on the offensive side of the ball. That means Herb Hand has to find himself a couple of dudes. It also means that one of those targets, DaJohn Yarborough, is arguably at the top of the FSU recruiting board.

Yarborough, a composite four-star recruit out of Chandler, Arizona, took an official visit to Tallahassee on the June 12 weekend and will be making his declaration on July 11. FSU is competing with Mississippi State, Washington and California. Yarborough has taken official visits to all four programs. 

READ MORE: Florida State football's top 5 must-get targets in the 2027 recruiting cycle

This is an interesting group of schools. Three conferences are represented with teams in the west, northwest and southeast all having a shot. Clearly, Yarborough has no regional bias and that should be an advantage for the Seminoles. He actually started playing football in Minnesota before moving to Arizona. Yarborough also has a wrestling background, which is good for an offensive lineman since their job is to move people.

The offer list is strong with North Carolina, Nebraska, Arizona, Arizona State, Illinois, Alabama, Utah, UCLA and several others on the list. Yarborough, who is listed at 6-foot-5, 340 pounds, is a top-10 prospect in the state of Arizona and is ranked as the 427th best player nationally and 28th best interior offensive lineman. 

FSU is heavily in the mix for 4-star offensive lineman DaJohn Yarborough

Make no mistake, Yarborough is probably the top priority for the Seminoles. FSU has to have a few offensive linemen in this class and Hand is likely to take a flyer on at least one under-the-radar kid, so if the Seminoles take two, the other one has to be more of a bona fide FBS prospect. 

READ MORE: Predicting the 3 most likely commits from FSU’s critical official visit weekend

"Coach Hand and coach [Mike] Norvell talked to me about how I fit into their program, the culture they're building, and the opportunities available both on and off the field. And they wanted to let me know that I am a top priority for them, like top-top," he told Chris Nee at 247Sports. "The conversations were really genuine and showed how much they believe in me as a player and person."

Currently, FSU sits at 13 commitments, so there's plenty of room for players even if Norvell is not going to have 30-plus pledges like he did last season. The Seminoles have to continue to bolster depth in the trenches and without a lot of offensive linemen on the board, Yarborough becomes a must-have. The Rivals/On3 predictor says this is a wide-open race with Cal in the lead with 20.2 percent, FSU at 12.5 percent and Mississippi State and Washington sandwiched in between them. Things should clear up more as the July 11 announcement date approaches. This is a player Norvel and Hand need to close. 

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