Taggart still hopeful a college football season will take place
FAU using Zoom to install game plans for the season
As someone who’s either played or coached college football for over 25 years, FAU coach Willie Taggart would prefer not to think about a fall without football.
He’s said it’s hard for him to see the U.S. without a football season, and that the thought of what it’d looked like hadn’t crossed his mind until recently.
But as weeks turn into months since sports were put on hold in the country due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, Taggart remains hopeful college football will be played this year.
“I hope so,” Taggart said when asked if a college football season will be played this year during a recent interview with ESPN West Palm. “The more we understand what’s going on, the better things will be. It’s hard to tell right now. We’ll leave that up to scientists and the ones who’ll make the right decisions. Most importantly, let’s make sure we’re all healthy.”
Like the rest of the sports world, the pandemic has created bumps in the road heading into what’s supposed to be Taggart’s first season with FAU after being hired as the head coach in December.
The Owls spring football practices were suspended March 13, 10 days before they were scheduled to start, meaning Taggart and his staff haven’t been able to implement their system or evaluate players on the field since the end of the 2019 season.
FAU has used Zoom to install its game plans while strength and conditioning coach Joey Guarascio has given players workout routines to stay in the best shape possible. But if a season were to be played,
Taggart said he believes players would need about a month-and-a-half of practice and workouts before being ready to play games.
“It’s tough, but I would say at least six weeks to get guys going, be able to work out a little bit and get guys back in shape,” Taggart said. “It will be an adjustment. We as Americans will have to adjust and do what’s right, but most importantly take care of each other.”
Off the field, Taggart said the Owls’ biggest adjustments have been with academics.
The university has had remote instruction in place since returning from spring break in March and plans to do so through at least Aug. 7.
Taggart said he’s been impressed by how the players have adapted with their coursework being online.
“Our guys understand it’s always going to be important as long as I’m the head football coach that they take care of business from an academic standpoint,” Taggart said. “Our guys have taken pride in the adjustment that has been made because of the pandemic. It’s been tough. Our guys have had a lot of sudden change, but they’ve taken care of their business from that standpoint.”
And Taggart’s been taking care of business himself outside of football. He took part in and won the FAU Schwab Show virtual trivia competition against softball coach Joan Joyce, baseball coach John McCormack and men’s basketball coach Dusty May.
Taggart’s used the extra time at home to work on his chef skills, regularly making breakfast for his family, saying he’s been “feeling myself” because of the positive feedback he’s gotten on his cooking.
“If we get back to football,” Taggart quipped. “They know those days stop so I won’t have to worry about it anymore.”