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Yesterday’s Poll Results
Today’s Poll
How optimistic are you about FSU baseball's 2027 season?
🏹 Welcome to The Chief Brief! 🏹
Good morning, Seminole! A lighter news day gives us room to dig into some good feature stories: Tom Herman's growing influence, Deante McCray's bid to lead the D-line, and FSU baseball's much-improved outlook for 2027. Let's dive in.
📋 In Today's Chief Brief:
🧠 Tom Herman's Impact Already Being Felt on Both Sides of the Ball 🧠 - Coaches and players are both feeling it.
💪 Deante McCray: 'This Is My Defense' 💪 - A quiet leader steps into a bigger voice.
📝 Recruiting Notebook 📝 - A tight end's FSU ties and a Jacksonville athlete's fall slate.
⚾ FSU Baseball's 2027 Outlook: Portal Additions and Draft Luck ⚾ - Age, talent, and experience finally line up.
🏈 Jashaun Corbin Signs With the Cowboys 🏈 - A quiet NFL success story.
🚪 Chris Carbin Lands at Blinn College 🚪 - A fresh start after a tough offseason.
Let's dive in. 🍢
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A month into his time on staff, it's becoming clear that Tom Herman's official title, "assistant to the head coach," undersells just how many people around the program he's actually helping.
🏈 A Resource for Both Coordinators
Norvell said the two connect daily, with Herman offering an offensive perspective to Tony White's staff as well. White compared him directly to last year's Zach Arnett, but with a higher ceiling: "He's been there and done that at the highest levels."
🗣️ Players Are Noticing Too
Safety K.J. Kirkland said Herman sits in on defensive back meetings regularly: "Being able to get those gems from him... one of the smartest people I've run into." Herman previously went 22-4 at Houston and coordinated a national championship offense at Ohio State before stints at Texas, FAU, and FIU.
Why It Matters: Herman's hire was framed as an offensive add, but his fingerprints are showing up all over the defense too, exactly the kind of experienced, big-picture voice a young coaching staff benefits from during a make-or-break season. 🍢
He doesn't have the sack numbers of Mandrell Desir, the recruiting pedigree of Kevin Wynn, or the tenure of Daniel Lyons, but through eight practices, Deante McCray has emerged as one of the clearest leaders on FSU's defensive line.
📈 A Breakout Year Already Underway
McCray graded as FSU's second-highest defensive lineman in 2025 per PFF, behind only Darrell Jackson, despite modest counting stats of 25 tackles and 4.5 tackles for loss. Now over 290 pounds and more comfortable in Tony White's scheme, he's setting his sights higher: "I feel like it's time to take the next step. I feel like this is my defense."
🗣️ Leading by Example, and Now by Voice
Knighton praised McCray this week for calling out a younger teammate's toughness in front of the group, a level of vocal leadership that's new for him this offseason.
Why It Matters: With Darrell Jackson gone, FSU needs a new anchor up front. McCray's blend of production, versatility across the line, and now genuine leadership makes him a strong candidate to be exactly that. 🍢
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📝 Recruiting Notebook 📝
The Bolles School transfer's relationship with FSU runs through tight ends coach Chris Thomsen, one of his first offers, and true freshman Corbyn Fordham, a former Bolles teammate he's already close with on campus. Wessel has FSU among seven schools on his fall visit list.
The Jacksonville Raines standout will attend both the Clemson game on Oct. 31 and the Florida finale on Nov. 27, calling FSU's program "a family" in a recruitment where the Seminoles have been a consistent frontrunner.
Why It Matters: Two prospects, two different position groups, both circling back to Tallahassee multiple times this fall is exactly the kind of sustained interest that turns into commitments down the road. 🍢
After two seasons of mismatched rosters, either strong arms without bats or the reverse, Florida State enters the 2027 offseason with something it hasn't had since 2024: real age, talent, and experience on both sides of the ball.
⚾ A Rotation Built on Luck and Additions
FSU lost its top two high school pitching recruits to the draft but got a break when returners John Abraham, Chris Knier, Payton Manca, and Cooper Whited all went unselected. Abraham slides into a full-time rotation spot alongside UConn transfer and 2026 Big East Pitcher of the Year Cayden Suchy.
👍 A Retooled Lineup
Link Jarrett used the portal to fix specific holes rather than overhaul the whole roster, adding shortstop Cooper Malamazian (a career .310 hitter from Indiana) and corner bats Nick Barron and Jackson McKenzie. Outfielder Ty Peeples, a 20th-round MLB Draft pick who chose college instead, headlines the newcomers.
Why It Matters: After two years of lopsided rosters that couldn't sustain deep postseason runs, this is the most complete-looking FSU baseball team heading into a season since 2024. 🍢
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Former FSU running back Jashaun Corbin has signed with the Dallas Cowboys after leading the UFL's Orlando Storm in rushing this spring.
🔄 A Winding NFL Path
Corbin has bounced through stints with the Giants, Panthers, Falcons, and Patriots since going undrafted out of FSU, using the UFL as a proving ground to stay in front of NFL scouts rather than fade out of the league entirely.
Why It Matters: Not every FSU alum's NFL story is a straight line, and Corbin's persistence through the developmental league is its own kind of quiet success story worth rooting for. 🍢
The freshman EDGE dismissed from FSU just before fall camp has signed with Blinn College, the Texas JUCO program that produced Cam Newton.
🏈 A Path Forward
Carbin, a three-star signee in FSU's 2026 class, will have five seasons of eligibility remaining and a real chance to develop and eventually transfer back up to the FBS level.
Why It Matters: A dismissal this close to camp always raises questions, but a landing spot with a track record of sending players to Power Four programs gives Carbin a legitimate path to keep his career moving. 🍢
And that's a wrap! 🍢
Thanks for reading today's edition, Seminole! A quieter day gave us a chance to dig into some real feature stories, from Tom Herman's growing influence to McCray's bid for leadership up front. Enjoy the rest of your weekend before camp rolls on.
Go Noles,
– The Chief Briefers
