FSU Football: Willie Taggart addresses dismissal, new start at FAU

Former FSU Football head coach Willie Taggart spoke with several members of the media, including Chop Chat, during the bowl game for his new employer FAU.

It’s been over a month and a half since the FSU football team, for the second time in just over two calendar years, knew they were going to be in the process of hiring a new head football coach for the 2020 season – only this time, it was because of their own doing in firing former head coach Willie Taggart.

Taggart, who spent less than two seasons on the job, came to Tallahassee with a reputation of building programs up – but took a school just five years removed from winning the national title and led them to their first losing season in over four decades, no bowl game and a 9-12 record before being fired after another loss to rival Miami.

While there has been plenty of debate on how much of a dumpster fire he inherited in Tallahassee, Taggart will have to live with the reputation of being a villain like figure to some in the FSU football fan base – but he can do so from his new job as the head coach of the Florida Atlantic Owls, where he was hired earlier this month.

Florida State Seminoles Football

During the recent bowl game of the Owls, a win over SMU this past Saturday in the Boca Raton Bowl, Taggart met with several members of the South Florida media – including Chop Chat – and was honest about the firing from FSU: it was a proud program that he could not take control of.

"“A big part of changing the culture is that it’s going to take time. You think about Florida State…it’s a prideful program, won a lot of ball games and has never been in that position before. That program…just wasn’t what it had been and we had to work our way through that. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the time to get through that.”"

Taggart’s firing came one day after FSU football lot a 27-10 game to the Hurricanes – their third straight loss to the rivals from Coral Gables which took Taggart’s record against the schools biggest rivals (Clemson, Miami and Florida) to 0-5.

The firing also started a search that lasted five weeks and included such rumored names as Bob Stoops, James Franklin and more before the Seminoles settled on hiring former Memphis head coach Mike Norvell – who, just like Taggart, grew up a fan of the Seminoles.

Now, Taggart – who added that the thinks the Seminoles will do well under Norvell – is taking over control of a FAU team who – for the moment – has the best record in the state of Florida at 11-2 following their blowout win over the Mustangs and being the only FBS team in the state to win their conference this season.

"“It’s really important for me to be somewhere I can win and can live and be there with my family. It was a perfect spot for what I wanted and I didn’t want to take a job and have to leave after two years.”"

So far, the Seminoles and Owls are not on the football schedule as of now – with the earliest date both schools could play being the 2022 season.