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FSU Football: Why Willie Taggart will dominate recruiting in Florida

By Jason Parker

GAINESVILLE, FL - NOVEMBER 25: Nyqwan Murray #8 and Da'Vante Phillips #5 of the Florida State Seminoles react after an FSU touchdown during the first half of the game against the Florida Gators at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on November 25, 2017 in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by Rob Foldy/Getty Images)
GAINESVILLE, FL - NOVEMBER 25: Nyqwan Murray #8 and Da'Vante Phillips #5 of the Florida State Seminoles react after an FSU touchdown during the first half of the game against the Florida Gators at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on November 25, 2017 in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by Rob Foldy/Getty Images) /
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FSU football has their latest head coach out on the recruiting trail – and judging by his past, the Sunshine State will again be dominated by the Noles.

When Willie Taggart was introduced as the 11th head football coach in FSU football history on Wednesday, he made the point very clear that when he was to begin recruiting for the Seminoles starting this week, the state of Florida was going to be a top priority in making sure the best players from the Sunshine State stay close to home.

If anyone is going to be able to talk about recruiting the state of Florida and have the numbers to back it up, it is the 41-year-old head coach of the Noles.

In his only full recruiting class as head coach of the Oregon Ducks, Taggart signed a total of 25 players o play for the school – with seven of them coming from the state of Florida. That’s right, he got seven players to go across the country to play for a team who had been 4-8 the season before. In this year’s class, he had four players from Florida (with one decommitting and another saying he would play for whoever Taggart coaches.)

His success in recruiting the Sunshine State dates back to his time as the head coach at USF, where he would go head to head with FSU football on several battles. In four seasons, the Bulls signed 90 players – with 72 of them, or 80 percent for you math majors, coming from the Sunshine State.

During the last five recruiting classes under Jimbo Fisher, the Seminoles signed 117 players with 63 of them (54 percent) coming from Florida. I get that FSU football is more of a national brand and we should always go for the best players no matter what, but to ignore what is most likely the best state for high school recruiting to the point of just over half is a troubling stat.

With Taggart now the head coach, FSU football is back in play when it comes to recruiting in both South Florida – where USF was able to snag plenty of players from Miami, Fort Lauderdale and other areas including quarterback Quentin Flowers – as well as the Tampa area, known by most as Gator Country but an area that has produced several Seminole greats.

Taggart will not give in when it comes to recruiting against the Miami Hurricanes in South Florida and the Florida Gators in Central Florida – and there is no reason to believe he won’t bring in 75 to 80 percent in-state players and fill out with the nation’s elite for the rest of the class. With those numbers, FSU football will consistently have the best roster in college football.

Next: FSU Football introduces Willie Taggart as head coach

The 2018 class for FSU football currently ranks in at 42nd nationally by Rivals following the departure of Fisher and several decommits – but you can bet Taggart will build on the 11 commitments (seven from Florida) and make sure the class is on top again and full of the Sunshine State’s best high school talent.

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