FSU Football: Delays in coaching hire show problems with plan

FSU Football felt the right move was to fire their coach with three games left in the season – and two weeks later, no coach has been hired.

It was just under a day after the FSU football team lost for the third straight season to the rival Miami Hurricanes that the administration – with some reported help from big money boosters – made the decision to fire head coach Willie Taggart after just 21 games leading the Seminoles for just under two seasons.

Since then, the Seminoles under interim head coach Odell Haggins has gone on to win two straight games and has become bowl eligible after missing the postseason in 2018 – but yet, the Seminoles still don’t have any idea who will be their head coach when the 2020 season kicks off against West Virginia next September.

Is it going to be former Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops, who it’s reported is no longer a candidate by some sources but is still the big name that the big money FSU football boosters want? What about his brother Mark, who spent time as the defensive coordinator of the Noles before taking the head job at Kentucky?

Florida State Seminoles Football

What about Haggins, who rolls into the bye week as “4 and 0-dell” and seems to have the support of the players who stepped their game up of late? Is there another name out there that those running things for the Seminoles are interested in?

The problem is that, as we enter the bye week before the regular season finale against the rival Florida Gators, is that those running things for the Seminoles don’t know who they want – but still made the decision to fire Taggart in spite of not knowing who was going to replace him.

It’s a common sense thing in sports that you don’t replace your head coach unless you have a plan in place to replace him that includes…wait for it…a new coach. Right now, the Seminoles are entering a week where they don’t have a game to focus on and are already bowl eligible – this would be the perfect time for an announcement.

Yet, it was still a must-do at the moment move to fire their head coach just 21 games into his tenure, right? I get that the critics are going to say yes, but why? Because of his record, which was the same through his first 11 games as the last coach before in his final 11 games? You really don’t think Taggart would’ve led them to wins over BC and Alabama State? Come on, now.

For all we know, a decision could be made sooner rather than later – and with the early signing day coming in less than a month, FSU football needs to have a new full time leader now. It needs to be the best coach of course – but at this point, it needs to take place sooner rather than later.