FSU Football: Are fan expectations too high for Willie Taggart?

FSU football is coming off its worst season in well over a decade but is looking to right the ship in 2019 under Willie Taggart.

I had an interesting conversation on Twitter with a number of FSU football fans Monday. It was in response to a piece our very own Jason Parker wrote regarding why Willie Taggart SHOULD NOT be on the hot seat in 2019.

The responses were amazing with some believing he should be on the hot seat in 2019 and others agreeing with Jason’s piece.

So those responses got me thinking about what the expectations are for Willie Taggart. Yes, I understand FSU football is a place where expectations are through the roof and they should be competing for ACC and national titles.

So knowing FSU went 5-7 in Taggart’s first season and he’s had recruiting classes that finished No. 11 and No. 16 I asked the following question:

Essentially that means FSU would have improved from five wins to nine wins and improved their recruiting class from No. 16 to No. 13. Even with that progression some FSU fans said he should be on the hot seat.

However, that stance was mostly related to their belief FSU should be landing top 5-10 recruiting classes every year and if he didn’t FSU would settle for mediocrity.

Some said it depended on how the team looked and/or who the four losses came against which makes sense too.

What Are The Expectations Though?

If you take a look at FSU football from 1999-2018 there’s some interesting information most fans seem to forget. FSU only won 10 or more games nine times during that span and averaged 3.7 losses.

From 2010-18 the Noles suffered 30 losses which equates to over three losses per year. So the norm over the past two decades has been roughly 9-4 with the Noles reaching a bowl game.

I’m not saying FSU football fans should settle for that, I’m just pointing out what the norm has been for a very long time.

I believe FSU will win eight or more games in 2019 and Willie Taggart will get things back to the norm or better. If fans want to compete with the Alabama’s and Clemson’s then maybe the fans need to go “all-in” like those programs have done.

Make all games in Doak Campbell a sell-out regardless of who the opponent is and game time. Become a booster and help the staff garner the same resources those teams have.

If you want to play the wait and see game to see if Taggart can right the ship in 2019 before doing either of those I understand.

However, when FSU wins eight or more games in 2019, I think fans should show the same commitment to Willie Taggart that they are expecting from him and the staff.

If you’re a die-hard Nole fan, be sure to follow us on Twitter for some great conversation/debates.