Florida State offensive line coach takes four-star offensive tackle to Waffle House

This is certainly one way to impress an offensive lineman.
Canon Pickett/Twitter

If there's one thing that we know about offensive linemen, it's that they love to eat. Florida State offensive line coach Herb Hand can relate as he professed his love of cooking and all things food during his introductory press conference in December.

Hand is already using his talents on the recruiting trail to connect with prospects. He cooked breakfast with four-star offensive tackle, Evan Goodwin, earlier this week, whipping up omelets in the kitchen. Hand decided to dine in during a visit with four-star offensive tackle Canon Pickett.

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The veteran coach took Pickett over to Waffle House to dish out knowledge and all-star specials. This is definitely something you don't see in the everyday world of recruiting but you've got to give Hand a hand (shameless pun) for staying true to his colors.

The only thing left to wonder is how the two order their hasbrowns. Covered, chunked, or diced?

The meeting with Pickett shows how much of a priority he is to the Seminoles. He was in Tallahassee last weekend for Florida State's first junior day of the year. Pickett does have major ties to Miami as his father played for the university from 1994-96 and his brother, Booker Pickett Jr., just wrapped up his first season with the Hurricanes. FSU was involved with Booker Pickett Jr. during his high school recruitment, hosting him multiple times before his decision.

Despite missing out on his brother, the Seminoles are continuing to shoot their shot with Pickett. He picked up an offer from Florida State back in June of 2023 when both he and his younger brother were on campus. The previous relationship with Hand should only be beneficial to the program in their pursuit of Pickett. He held an offer from UCF when both hand and offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn were with the Knights.

Pickett spent his junior season as the starting left tackle at Wharton High School. He's visited programs such as Miami, Michigan, Florida, Alabama, Ohio State, and USC, among others.

Georgia, Michigan, Clemson, Miami, Florida, and Vanderbilt have all dropped in on Pickett this month.

The 6-foot-4, 288-pound offensive lineman is regarded as the No. 305 overall prospect, the No. 26 IOL, and the No. 48 recruit in Florida in the 2026 class according to 247Sports.

Florida State holds six verbal commitments in its 2026 class which ranks No. 8 in the country. The Seminoles picked up a pledge from three-star offensive lineman Xavier Payne in late December.

Who Is Committed To FSU In The 2026 Class?

Four-Star QB Brady Smigiel

Four-Star WR Efrem White

Four-Star WR Darryon Williams

Four-Star DB Darryl Bell III

Three-Star DB Tedarius Hughes

Three-Star OL Xavier Payne


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Dustin Lewis
DUSTIN LEWIS

Lewis joined NoleGameday in 2016 and is currently in the role of Editor-In-Chief. A graduate of Florida State, Lewis contributes to football, recruiting, and basketball coverage. Connect with Dustin on Twitter at @DustinLewisNG.