Kendal Briles expected to be new FSU offensive coordinator

FSU football had been on the offensive coordinator market for a couple weeks since Walt Bell jumped to UMass. Kendal Briles is expected to replace him as FSU’s offensive coordinator.

FSU football needed an experienced offensive coordinator that has similar philosophies as head coach Willie Taggart.

They also needed someone who could develop quarterbacks, be organized and a good recruiter.

Look no further than Kendal Briles who’s expected to be named FSU’s new offensive coordinator by multiple reports.

He resigned from the same position after Houston’s blowout loss against Army Saturday.

In fact, Taggart has borrowed a lot of his spread concepts from the offense Briles’ father Art Briles made popular while head coach at Baylor.

If hired, Briles could be given full control of the offense unlike Walt Bell who came to FSU football with much less experience and pedigree compared to what Briles will bring.

Houston’s offense averaged 46.4 ppg and 6.77 ypp under Briles in 2018.

They also converted third downs at a 47 percent clip while scoring touchdowns in the red zone 79 percent of the time.

Willie Taggart wants an up tempo offense? Houston ran 937 offensive plays that was incredibly balanced (495 run vs. 442 passing) which averaged about 78 plays per game.

FSU has work to do regarding the offensive line and is looking to address that need via a couple of JUCO players and hopefully signing some talented true freshmen that will enroll in January.

Briles does come with some baggage, notably from his time at Baylor where he worked as an assistant under his father who was fired after the 2015 season amid a huge sexual assault scandal.

This FSU offensive coordinator role will be his third job removed from the Baylor job and the third college that has conducted their due diligence before hiring.

It’s likely a risk worth taking as Willie Taggart desperately needs the FSU offense to return to a competitive state and take pressure off the defense who was on the field way too much in 2018.