FSU Football: Willie Taggart defends hiring of Kendal Briles for Noles

FSU football made a move that was both praised for his skill in leading several offenses across college football – but controversial mostly for his name.

After a season in 2018 where the offense for the FSU football team finished ranked as one of the worst in all of the FBS and in the history of the Seminoles’ program, one of the shocking things from the offseason took place when the team’s offensive coordinator, Walt Bell, was named the head coach all the way up at UMass.

For several weeks, head coach Willie Taggart and school officials worked on who they wanted to fill Bell’s spot on the sidelines – and just before the Christmas holiday, Taggart and the Seminoles got the man they wanted when they were able to get Kendal Briles to leave his job with the Houston Cougars and come to the Seminoles.

For FSU football on the field, the move is a no brainer as Briles brings a resume to town that includes top 10 offenses during his time with the same job at schools like Baylor, Florida Atlantic and Houston – all reasons why Taggart wanted him to come to Tallahassee.

Florida State Seminoles Football

Of course, the hire has been met with plenty of controversy considering the time Briles spent on the staff at Baylor and a sexual assault scandal that rocked the program and led to the removal of their head coach – Kendal’s dad, Art.

During the final Seminole Boosters coach’s tour event this past Friday in Miami Gardens, Taggart did not address that part of the hire when he spoke with Chop Chat but was highly complementary of what Briles could do for the offense in 2019 and beyond for FSU football.

"“This offseason, it was really important for us to get it that way and getting someone that you know and understands what you want. Someone who has actually done what you want them to do and helping you build this team and someone who fits your player’s personalities. It started with Kendal and knowing Kendal and what they did and knowing he’ll be good for our guys.With Coach Briles, I really like the simplistic way of teaching. It’s really important and it showed this spring with how fast our guys picked up on what they were doing.”"

The bottom line for the Seminoles in the 2019 season is this: there is not a lot of things in the world that could be worse than what took place last season on offense for the team. If Briles can help turn that unit around and they get to eight or nine wins, he is going to be considered a God in the football world and might be a head coach sooner than later.

That being said, his last name is going to be a burden whether he is coaching for the Noles or anyone else – and the sooner that he or Taggart realize that, the reality could make things run smoother.