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Should FSU Football have pursued former stars more for assistant jobs?

By Jason Parker

9 Oct 1999: Chris Weinke #16 of the Florida State Seminoles looks to pass the ball during the game against the Miami Hurricanes at the Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida. The Seminoles defeated the Hurricanes 31-21. Mandatory Credit: Andy Lyons /Allsport
9 Oct 1999: Chris Weinke #16 of the Florida State Seminoles looks to pass the ball during the game against the Miami Hurricanes at the Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida. The Seminoles defeated the Hurricanes 31-21. Mandatory Credit: Andy Lyons /Allsport /
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FSU football has two former stars that are on their assistant coaching staff for 2018 – and watched as three more have jobs at other schools.

This week, news broke that another FSU football legend was getting into the college coaching game. Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Chris Weinke, the man who came back to Tallahassee and led the Seminoles to a national title, left his job as an offensive assistant with the Alabama Crimson Tide for a job with…the Tennessee Volunteers…as a running backs coach?

Nope, you read that right. The man who rocked No. 16 for three seasons and rewrote the record books during his time with the Noles is going to be coaching running backs for a team that has constantly underachieved this decade as part of the new coaching staff of head coach (and former FSU football defensive coordinator) Jeremy Pruitt.

The decision comes several months after there was a thought Weinke might not have accepted a job with the Vols sooner because he was considering a job with the Seminoles. It also comes just over a month after former star defensive back Terrell Buckley chose to stay at Mississippi State and wide receiver legend Ron Dugans turned down the Noles to stay with the Miami Hurricanes.

Now, in fairness, we don’t know for a fact that Weinke and Buckley were even offered a spot on the FSU football staff of Willie Taggart. We know for a fact that Dugans was and reportedly gave serious consideration to returning to his hometown and alma mater – hurting even more that he’s staying with one of the enemies.

It’s highly likely that Dugans and Weinke made the decisions they did because the chance was there to move up the coaching chain – possibly becoming offensive coordinators one day on the road to becoming a head coach. If that is the reason, it can’t be faulted too much to think about your future.

FSU football does have two former stars on their current staff – with former offensive lineman Greg Frey returning to coach the unit and longtime assistant (and the only undefeated head coach in Seminoles history) Odell Haggins being retained in the smartest move Taggart could have made.

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It’s not a condemnation on the assistants that Taggart brought in – it’s a group that contains brilliant minds that will bring the Seminoles back to the top of the college football world. Still, it will be weird watching Weinke in orange coaching running backs…or Dugans still throwing up the U…or T-Buck in maroon and not garnet.

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