New FSU football coach
FSU coach’s enthusiasm impresses during visit to Orlando
Willie Taggart wows fans Thursday at an Orlando event.
been nearly six months since Willie Taggart was named Florida State’s new football coach, and his outgoing yet laid-back demeanor continues to energize the Seminoles’ fan base.
Taggart left no hand unshaken and posed for nearly every picture when flanked by FSU fans at a Seminoles’ block party event that drew about 768 fans and boosters at Harry Buffalo, 129 West Church Street, on Thursday night.
Taggart believes he has three quarterbacks — Orlando’s Deondre Francois, James Blackman and Bailey Hockman — who can get the job done in his new offense and is excited about his staIt’s ble of talented running backs.
He even reassured uneasy fans that his offensive line “can’t be
that bad.” After all, the Seminoles had former running back Dalvin Cook and sophomore Cam Akers rush for at least 1,000 yards in the past three seasons, respectively.
Taggart earned several ovations discussing his childhood love for FSU football, reconnect- ing with legendary coach Bobby Bowden and the work he has already done galvanizing the Seminoles on the recruiting trail and after last month’s spring game.
“I want our guys to go out and play football and get back to dominating like we used to,” Taggart said.
The loudest ovation Taggart received was after discussing his efforts to bring Bowden back into the program’s fold after meeting him in February. Bowden visited his first FSU practice last month for the first time since retiring in 2009.
“It really struck a nerve to me when I was talking to Coach Bowden and he said he’s never been to a practice since he left there. And being from a far and growing up a Florida State fan, it should have never been that way,” Taggart said.
He also told fans, as he told Seminoles players upon getting the job, to expect some different uniform combinations next season, but not as many as his previous employer.
“We won’t have as many uniforms as Oregon. Oregon is the only team that can get away with that,” Taggart said of the university less than two hours away from Nike’s headquarters.
“But we will have multiple uniforms and do some different things and stay true to who we are. We’re going to be swagged out a little bit.”
The Seminole fans in attendance were encouraged by Taggart’s enthusiasm.
Most important, they believe Taggart is the right coach to lead the FSU program into the future.
“It’s a fresh new thing — lethal simplicity,” said Calvin Brothers, who drove to Orlando after missing the FSU event in his hometown of Jacksonville. “He’s bringing back the old school with the new school. He’s making it fun to be a Seminole again, and it’s just great for the university.”
Jennifer Miller, a lifelong FSU fan and frequent season ticket holder from Oviedo, usually does not attend FSU events like the one held Thursday. She first experienced this “whole new era” of Seminoles football at the spring game in Doak Campbell Stadium last month.
While FSU’s run to the 2013 national title was a fun experience for FSU fans, Miller says the end of Jimbo Fisher’s tenure simply “left a bad taste in our mouths.”
“But Coach Taggart has just brought the whole excitement to this year that you have to see him. You have to meet him,” Miller said. “He’s bringing back what FSU means to everybody, the old players and Bobby Bowden.”
James Green, who is from Quincy near Tallahassee and moved to Orlando six months ago, said his emotions as an FSU fan during the Fisher-to-Taggart transition went from “distress, upset, worried, to just excited about where we’re going in the future.”
“I just wanted to come out and enjoy the atmosphere,” Green said. “I think everything he’s trying to bring to the program is different than Jimbo. It’s a new coach, new excitement, new things.”
Marques Hastie, a threeyear resident of Orlando who attended the spring game, sensed the change in player attitudes just by watching video interviews during spring practice.
“Every video that you see of everyone, you hear them say, ‘This is the most fun I’ve had playing football,’ and you can see it,” Hastie said. “When the kids are playing relaxed and playing loose, they get the best out of them.”
When the event was over, Taggart turned around on stage and asked fans behind him to pose for a selfie while the Seminole chant blared down Church Street.
Taggart knows he has a tough task ahead, continuing his efforts to mend a team that had one of its worst seasons in program history last season. The Seminoles hope to regain their footing in the ACC and in the national title discussion.
While Taggart is ecstatic and overwhelmed by FSU’s fan support, he knows he has one thing to do to keep his early moment afloat.
“Of course you’ve got to win,” Taggart said.