When Willie Taggart walked into Florida State’s team meeting room for the first time as the Seminoles’ new coach, his players clapped in approval. Taggart told them to cut it out, because he had not accomplished anything yet.
“When he said that, I knew he was about business,” cornerback Levonta Taylor told The Athletic. “I knew we were in good hands after that.”
It is a new era at a place where that is still, in many ways, foreign territory. Florida State had not hired a head coach from outside the program since 1976. Then again, Oregon had not done that since 1977, and Taggart was successful enough in his lone year with the Ducks to land the FSU job.
After the shock of Jimbo Fisher leaving for Texas A&M — the first national championship-winning coach to do that for another college job in 40 years — came the natural changing of the guard to Taggart. The 41-year-old Bradenton, Fla., native grew up on the Seminoles and is likely to be a hit on the recruiting trail. But first comes shaking up a program coming off an underwhelming 7-6 campaign after five consecutive seasons of at least 10 wins.
“He told us the story of how he didn’t get the opportunity to be here as a player, but sometimes life gives you things you need,” running back Jacques Patrick told The Athletic. “He came back, now he’s a coach at a prestigious university like this, so I’m pretty sure he’s gonna do everything to maximize this opportunity, and I’m gonna do my best to help him.”
Taggart has spoken repeatedly about the family atmosphere he hopes to bring back to Tallahassee, as things fell flat last season during Fisher’s final campaign despite the abundance of talent.
Getting those players to come together has been Priority No. 1 for the new coach, because it is not like he is walking into a massive rebuild.
“I think part of what you’re hearing is just our guys being around each other a lot more,” Taggart told The Athletic. “And in practice one thing I learned about our team was whenever we put them in a competitive situation, they have fun doing it; you don’t have to pull any teeth to get them to go. So everything we do around here is competitive, and I think our guys are really liking that in every aspect. Whether it’s football or academics or even community service, we’re competing in it, our guys are taking fun in that and enjoying it.”
Taggart has held mandatory team dinners three nights a week, and he has been amazed by what some of his players have learned about each other.
“We just had our spring evaluation meeting, and a lot of our players talked about how those dinners allowed them to talk to guys they normally wouldn’t have even talked to, or some guy they haven’t even talked to in three years, so that was eye-opening,” he said. “But also for me, (it’s about) letting them know that’s exactly why we’re doing it, is to get those guys to be around each other and get to know each other. And the more they know each other and are around each other, it’s easier for them to hold each other accountable.”
With the early pleasantries out of the way, now comes the hard part for Taggart: challenging Clemson for ACC supremacy, living up to the standard Fisher set during his tenure and making the most of his dream job.
Biggest on-field question
Florida State is no different than most places in this space, as the Seminoles have a full-on quarterback battle on their hands. The rub is that they are choosing from two who have a ton of game experience.
James Blackman was thrust into the spotlight as a true freshman, and the circumstances were not optimal: a struggling offensive line, little in the way of proven playmakers (at least by FSU standards) and an overall tumultuous campaign that hastened the exit of a national title-winning coach and brought in change foreign to a power like this one.
Yet Blackman came out of the other end of that firestorm in one piece and with the respect of his teammates, too. Listed at 6 feet 5 and just 176 pounds, Blackman completed better than 58.2 percent of his passes for 2,230 yards and 19 touchdowns with 11 interceptions. His team only went 7-6, but there is something to be said for getting all those rookie mistakes out of the way, especially during what was a lost season.
The Gulf Coast offense that Taggart prefers is different for these quarterbacks, with an emphasis on tempo and quick decision-making. “Lethal simplicity” is the phrase du jour, as the new staff hopes to make the most of its abundance of highly recruited playmakers by getting them in space.
So what happens with Deondre Francois, who had a strong redshirt freshman season in 2016, leading Florida State to an Orange Bowl win? The 6-1, 204-pounder entered Tallahassee straight out of central casting: He was Rivals’ No. 1 dual-threat QB prospect in 2015, threw for 3,350 yards and 20 touchdowns with seven interceptions in 2016 and won ACC Rookie of the Year honors. He completed 58.7 percent of his passes, adding 198 rushing yards and five scores on the ground.
But it has been a rocky road for Francois since then. He suffered a torn patellar tendon in his left knee in last year’s opener, sidelining him for the season. (And limiting him this spring.) He was investigated by the Tallahassee Police Department on four occasions in two months on the suspicion of marijuana possession with intent to sell. (He was not arrested and was offered participation in a pre-trial diversion program.)
“I wouldn’t say necessarily setback — he knows what I’m expecting and looking for along with the other quarterbacks,” Taggart said of Francois. “It’s important that all of our guys at the quarterback position earn the trust and respect of their teammates. I think all three of them can play the position. What we need here is a guy that’s gonna lead this football team, a guy that’s gonna get his teammates to follow him and play for him. And you do that by being a good person and staying out of the negative light. And Deondre understands that along with the other guys. They understand they’re gonna have to win this team over in order to be the quarterback.”
“When he said that, I knew he was about business,” cornerback Levonta Taylor told The Athletic. “I knew we were in good hands after that.”
It is a new era at a place where that is still, in many ways, foreign territory. Florida State had not hired a head coach from outside the program since 1976. Then again, Oregon had not done that since 1977, and Taggart was successful enough in his lone year with the Ducks to land the FSU job.
After the shock of Jimbo Fisher leaving for Texas A&M — the first national championship-winning coach to do that for another college job in 40 years — came the natural changing of the guard to Taggart. The 41-year-old Bradenton, Fla., native grew up on the Seminoles and is likely to be a hit on the recruiting trail. But first comes shaking up a program coming off an underwhelming 7-6 campaign after five consecutive seasons of at least 10 wins.
“He told us the story of how he didn’t get the opportunity to be here as a player, but sometimes life gives you things you need,” running back Jacques Patrick told The Athletic. “He came back, now he’s a coach at a prestigious university like this, so I’m pretty sure he’s gonna do everything to maximize this opportunity, and I’m gonna do my best to help him.”
Taggart has spoken repeatedly about the family atmosphere he hopes to bring back to Tallahassee, as things fell flat last season during Fisher’s final campaign despite the abundance of talent.
Getting those players to come together has been Priority No. 1 for the new coach, because it is not like he is walking into a massive rebuild.
“I think part of what you’re hearing is just our guys being around each other a lot more,” Taggart told The Athletic. “And in practice one thing I learned about our team was whenever we put them in a competitive situation, they have fun doing it; you don’t have to pull any teeth to get them to go. So everything we do around here is competitive, and I think our guys are really liking that in every aspect. Whether it’s football or academics or even community service, we’re competing in it, our guys are taking fun in that and enjoying it.”
Taggart has held mandatory team dinners three nights a week, and he has been amazed by what some of his players have learned about each other.
“We just had our spring evaluation meeting, and a lot of our players talked about how those dinners allowed them to talk to guys they normally wouldn’t have even talked to, or some guy they haven’t even talked to in three years, so that was eye-opening,” he said. “But also for me, (it’s about) letting them know that’s exactly why we’re doing it, is to get those guys to be around each other and get to know each other. And the more they know each other and are around each other, it’s easier for them to hold each other accountable.”
With the early pleasantries out of the way, now comes the hard part for Taggart: challenging Clemson for ACC supremacy, living up to the standard Fisher set during his tenure and making the most of his dream job.
Biggest on-field question
Florida State is no different than most places in this space, as the Seminoles have a full-on quarterback battle on their hands. The rub is that they are choosing from two who have a ton of game experience.
James Blackman was thrust into the spotlight as a true freshman, and the circumstances were not optimal: a struggling offensive line, little in the way of proven playmakers (at least by FSU standards) and an overall tumultuous campaign that hastened the exit of a national title-winning coach and brought in change foreign to a power like this one.
Yet Blackman came out of the other end of that firestorm in one piece and with the respect of his teammates, too. Listed at 6 feet 5 and just 176 pounds, Blackman completed better than 58.2 percent of his passes for 2,230 yards and 19 touchdowns with 11 interceptions. His team only went 7-6, but there is something to be said for getting all those rookie mistakes out of the way, especially during what was a lost season.
The Gulf Coast offense that Taggart prefers is different for these quarterbacks, with an emphasis on tempo and quick decision-making. “Lethal simplicity” is the phrase du jour, as the new staff hopes to make the most of its abundance of highly recruited playmakers by getting them in space.
So what happens with Deondre Francois, who had a strong redshirt freshman season in 2016, leading Florida State to an Orange Bowl win? The 6-1, 204-pounder entered Tallahassee straight out of central casting: He was Rivals’ No. 1 dual-threat QB prospect in 2015, threw for 3,350 yards and 20 touchdowns with seven interceptions in 2016 and won ACC Rookie of the Year honors. He completed 58.7 percent of his passes, adding 198 rushing yards and five scores on the ground.
But it has been a rocky road for Francois since then. He suffered a torn patellar tendon in his left knee in last year’s opener, sidelining him for the season. (And limiting him this spring.) He was investigated by the Tallahassee Police Department on four occasions in two months on the suspicion of marijuana possession with intent to sell. (He was not arrested and was offered participation in a pre-trial diversion program.)
“I wouldn’t say necessarily setback — he knows what I’m expecting and looking for along with the other quarterbacks,” Taggart said of Francois. “It’s important that all of our guys at the quarterback position earn the trust and respect of their teammates. I think all three of them can play the position. What we need here is a guy that’s gonna lead this football team, a guy that’s gonna get his teammates to follow him and play for him. And you do that by being a good person and staying out of the negative light. And Deondre understands that along with the other guys. They understand they’re gonna have to win this team over in order to be the quarterback.”
