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FSU Football: Profile of new head coach Willie Taggart

By Jason Parker

PALO ALTO, CA - OCTOBER 14: Head coach Willie Taggart of the Oregon Ducks looks on while his team warms up during pregame warm ups prior to playing the Stanford Cardinal at Stanford Stadium on October 14, 2017 in Palo Alto, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
PALO ALTO, CA - OCTOBER 14: Head coach Willie Taggart of the Oregon Ducks looks on while his team warms up during pregame warm ups prior to playing the Stanford Cardinal at Stanford Stadium on October 14, 2017 in Palo Alto, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
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FSU football will welcome their new head football coach on Wednesday – but just who is the 41-year-old returning to his home state?

Growing up as a youngster in the area of Bradenton, Florida, Willie Taggart was a big fan of FSU football and watched the likes of Amp Lee, Casey Weldon, Derrick Brooks, Warrick Dunn and dozens of other stars suit up for the Seminoles. While he never got a chance to play of the Noles, he’s going to get a chance to do something more – coach them starting in 2018.

Taggart was named the head coach of the Seminoles on Tuesday, ending a four day saga that came with the departure of Jimbo Fisher to Texas A&M last Friday. From the start, Taggart was considered the favorite as officials met with him in Arizona just one day before an announcement was made.

Now, FSU football will be led onto the field next season by a man who loved the garnet and gold living just over 300 miles away – so who is the 11th head coach in program history?

Bio and Playing Career

Taggart was born in the city just south of Tampa and raised in nearby Palmetto, staring as a quarterback at Manatee High School – where he faced off several times against former FSU football standout Peter Warrick when he played at rival Southeast High – while combining for nearly 4,000 total yards his final two seasons, winning a state title in 1992 and finishing runner-up the following year.

He went on to start all four years at quarterback for the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, who at that point played in what is now the FCS level. He was an All-American as a senior in 1998 and finished as a finalist for the top offensive player his final two seasons, later getting his number retired before hanging up his cleats.

Coaching Career

Taggart immediately went into coaching, spending eight seasons as an assistant at his alma mater, winning a national title before spending three seasons as a running backs coach at Stanford. In 2010, he returned to his alma mater and took them from two wins his first season to back-to-back winning seasons and a bowl trip before heading to USF.

He did the same thing with the Bulls, going from 2-10 in his first season to 10-2 in the 2016 regular season (finishing with two career losses to FSU football) and being hired as the head coach at Oregon – taking a Ducks team that finished 4-8 the year before and, continuing his impressive streak of turning around teams, led them to a 7-5 finish this year and berth in the Las Vegas Bowl.

Making History

At each of his previous stops, Taggart was the first African-American head coach for those programs. While he won’t technically being doing that with FSU Football since Odell Haggins was named interim coach for last week’s win and the Independence Bowl, Taggart will be the first full time minority to coach the Seminoles.

Next: The allure of recruiting at Florida State

Taggart, who is married with three children and will turn 42 on August 27th, just one week before his first game as head coach of the Seminoles when they host Virginia Tech on Labor Day inside Doak Campbell Stadium.

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