Yarborough is down to three finalists as of today, FSU, Cal and Mississippi State, after Washington fell out of the picture. He's a 6-foot-5, 340-pound composite four-star ranked the No. 25 interior lineman nationally, and FSU has been in on him since extending an offer back in summer 2025.

The consensus read heading into tonight has Cal as FSU's biggest threat, with the Golden Bears' early offer and Yarborough's own comments about seeing himself develop there weighing heavily. FSU remains the only school where he's made multiple trips, including a March visit for spring practice and his official visit last month.

FSU's 2027 class still doesn't have a single offensive line commit, and Yarborough is the last blue-chip name realistically on the board this cycle. Hand has rebuilt the interior line almost entirely through the portal and far-off developmental prospects the last two years, none of whom project as immediate contributors.

Landing Yarborough would give Hand a plug-and-play piece and proof he can win a straight recruiting fight for a lineman, not just find one in the portal. Missing out sends the staff back to the portal again next spring with the same shopping list.

Poole, the No. 75 player nationally and the No. 4 safety in the class, told Rivals that relationships have carried more weight than facilities or NIL throughout the process, and that he's been close with the coaching staffs at all three finalists.

He described FSU's tradition, culture and staff as what stood out, Georgia as the hometown pull, and Tennessee as a staff he's built a long relationship with. He said he'll lean on faith when decision day comes, calling it not an easy decision.

Georgia and Tennessee both have the on-field results working in their favor right now, but Poole's own comments suggest this is genuinely open, and FSU has clearly built a plan and vision he believes in. Landing him would be the highest-ranked pledge of FSU's 2027 class, pairing with fellow safety commit Jemari Foreman.

The Cal transfer, a 6-foot-2, 180-pound right-hander out of Huntington Beach, posted a 3.69 ERA and 1.34 WHIP over 46.1 innings as a true freshman, striking out 49 and limiting opponents to a .212 average. He's the fifth pitcher FSU has added from the portal this cycle, joining UConn's Cayden Suchy, FGCU's Sebastian Lippman, South Carolina's Alex Philpott and Penn State's Isaiah Shayter.

Jarrett has been stacking arms for a reason. All three of FSU's junior starters this spring, ACC Pitcher of the Year Wes Mendes, Trey Beard and Bryson Moore, are considered strong bets to leave for the draft, which could gut the rotation FSU just built.

Rounds 1-4 go Saturday starting at 1 p.m. ET (NBC/Peacock, then MLB Network), with rounds 5-20 following Sunday. MLB Pipeline ranks Mendes No. 51 overall, first baseman Myles Bailey No. 83, and Beard No. 134, while FSU high school commits Landon Thome (son of Jim Thome, No. 34) and Kaden Waechter (No. 57) are both projected to go early enough that FSU could lose them before they ever arrive on campus.

Three-star tight end Colton Johnson committed to Ole Miss over FSU, Alabama, Indiana, North Carolina and Purdue. FSU had been in the mix since January and hosted him for an official visit on June 12, but Johnson was really the only uncommitted tight end the staff had traction with this cycle.

FSU already has three-star Connor Winn committed at the position and recently watched international prospect Elias Wilson work out, but hasn't offered him yet, leaving the board thin heading into the back half of the summer.

Barnes, who rushed for 1,208 yards and 25 touchdowns as a junior at Westview High School, is set to announce his commitment July 29 between FSU, Arkansas, Tennessee and USC. He never made an official visit to Tallahassee, instead visiting Arkansas and Tennessee, which appear to hold the edge.

New FSU running backs coach Kam Martin already landed his first commit, four-star Jayden Miles, over Ohio State, LSU, Auburn, Kentucky and Texas Tech last month, and the staff has been evaluating whether Barnes is even still a priority given that addition.

West holds offers from FSU, Florida, Maryland, Louisville, Colorado, Syracuse and Georgia Tech, and says relationships built through a personal notes app tracking each visit will decide his recruitment, not logos or facilities.

He specifically credited Norvell for an interesting pitch about turning FSU around, though Florida (Jon Sumrall, Buster Faulkner) and North Carolina (Bill Belichick's NFL pedigree) both drew stronger praise in his comments so far. West completed 55.1 percent of his passes for 2,836 yards and 26 touchdowns as a sophomore.

FSU's 2024 offense was historically bad, 15.4 points and 270.3 yards per game, ahead of only Kennesaw State and Kent State nationally in yards. Roster construction, not play-calling, was the bigger problem: an injury-riddled offensive line and immobile quarterbacks left Norvell with almost nothing to work with.

The offensive line again has essentially five new starters, but three (Xavier Chaplin, Nate Pabst, Bradyn Welch-Joiner) are proven veterans this time. The skill positions are considerably deeper too, led by All-American receiver Duce Robinson, a crowded backfield, and a tight end room featuring East Carolina transfer Desirrio Riles.

The wildcard is quarterback. Ashton Daniels brings 37 games and 23 starts of experience but a modest 60.2 completion percentage and a 24-22 TD-to-INT ratio, though his legs (6-foot-2, 225 pounds) give Norvell a running element his 2024 offense never had.

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Junior Chris Jones, a transfer from Southern Miss who racked up First-Team All-Sun Belt honors with over 10 tackles a game in 2025, is FSU's best linebacker addition since the 2023 Kalen DeLoach-Tatum Bethune tandem. Redshirt senior Mikai Gbayor reunites with Tony White from their Nebraska days after a down year at North Carolina, hoping a familiar scheme unlocks his 2024 form.

Senior Blake Nichelson and redshirt senior Omar Graham Jr. both return for full FSU careers, while redshirt junior Caleb LaVallee, back healthy from a leg injury, could push for a starting job after a strong spring. True freshman Izayia Williams, the room's highest-rated signee since Nichelson, is still working back from a torn ACL, and freshman Karon Maycock impressed enough in spring to have a real shot at the rotation.

With the ACC and SEC both moving to nine-game conference schedules starting in 2027, non-conference scheduling is getting tougher across the sport. Alford says FSU remains committed to seven home games annually whenever possible, a streak the program has largely maintained since 2010 outside of a few hurricane and neutral-site disruptions.

The long-planned FSU-Georgia home-and-home has been scrapped in favor of a single neutral-site game in 2028 at the Titans' new stadium in Nashville, a move that's frustrated Tallahassee businesses and alumni on both sides hoping to see the series played on campus.

FSU's 2027 slate includes home games against Duke, Georgia Tech, Miami and Pittsburgh, with road trips to Cal, Clemson, North Carolina and Syracuse, plus a ninth ACC opponent still to be determined.

The preseason poll veteran slotted FSU at No. 25 nationally but projects the Seminoles to finish tied for ninth in the ACC, a signal he expects a genuinely strong conference from top to bottom in 2026. Either way, it would mark real improvement from last year's 5-7, 2-6 finish.

The Pearl River JUCO transfer broke out as a sophomore with 7.5 sacks, 11.5 tackles for loss and a pick-six on his way to conference Defensive Player of the Year, after his coach said he powered through 20 reps of 330 pounds the first time they met him at 245 pounds.

FSU's starting left tackle hosted his second annual Back to School backpack drive at his former high school on July 4, with plans already in motion for a third next year.

John Butler Jr. logged 5:33 for the Bucks in a loss to Miami, scoring six points on a perfect night from three-point range, while Chauncey Wiggins and Robert McCray V both were held out as coach's decisions in their respective wins.