FSU football head coach Willie Taggart has been touring the state since the end of spring football and sat down with us before the final stop this week.
Just over six months into his new job as the head coach of the FSU football team, Willie Taggart shared in an exclusive interview with Chop Chat that he remembers the moment where it finally hit him – the man who grew up rooting for the Seminoles and dreaming of playing for them was now going to be in charge of the program.
"“I would say the press conference. Just being there and seeing the excitement, seeing everyone and seeing my family,” Taggart said. “Being out on the road recruiting, things were totally different. This is what it’s like being the head coach at Florida State.”"
Taggart has spent the last two months crossing the state and the southeast – including the final stop Tuesday near Fort Lauderdale where he sat down with us – speaking with alumni and fans of FSU football in an effort to get them hyped after a subpar season where the Seminoles needed a makeup game just to be bowl eligible and saw their former coach bolt before that showdown.
While fans seem to be buying into the hype – over 60,000 people showed up to April’s spring game and hundreds have shown up at each stop from Pensacola to Miami and all points in between – Taggart knew he had to get the FSU football team on board and change the narative for a program just four years removed from a national championship.
"“We can’t keep doing what we did and expect different results,” Taggart said. “From afar, I didn’t see a football team that played for each other and cared about one another and that’s something that can’t happen if we’re going to be the football team we want to be.”"
Taggart’s first spring saw the Seminoles adjusting to a new offense – labeled the Gulf Coast offense that will see a much different look from past seasons in Tallahassee – while dealing with injuries to top players and a test to the depth chart.
"“A lot of guys who played for us last year didn’t get to play spring ball, so a lot of the younger guys got reps so I think that’s going to pay off for us in the long run with depth and some good understanding what we’re going to do on the field,” the Palmetto, Florida native said after returning to his home state following one season leading the Oregon Ducks."
One FSU football veteran who Taggart doesn’t have to worry about is quarterback Deondre Francois, who practiced in spurts during the spring while still recovering from knee surgery.
"“I saw a lot of Deondre at South Florida,” Taggart said, speaking of the game where Francois combined for 244 total yards and two touchdowns in the 55-35 rout of the Bulls. “He showed us a lot then.”"
Next: Can Taggart be most successful first year coach for Noles?
The FSU football team will officially kick off the Willie Taggart era in games that count on Labor Day when the Seminoles host Virginia Tech.