Former assistant Kelly relishes being back with Taggart

TALLAHASSEE — David Kelly says his first mistake was getting on a plane for a recruiting trip with Willie Taggart.

But Kelly is surely glad he was on that flight.

Kelly and Taggart were on their way to Seattle to court top-recruit Tre’shaun Harrison when Taggart, the new Florida State coach, asked Kelly if he wanted to be the Seminoles’ wide receivers coach.

Kelly admitted he was apprehensive at first. When he returned to college football after a sevenyear hiatus, Kelly grew comfortable in a behind-the-scenes role he took under Taggart at USF and Oregon.

In 2016, he was director of player personnel during Taggart’s final season with the Bulls. He led Oregon’s football recruiting operations during their sole season together at Oregon in 2017. And he thought he was going to oversee Florida State’s football operations when Taggart took the Seminoles job in December.

“[Taggart] and I are on this plane flight, and I guess I shouldn’t have made that mistake,” Kelly said with a smile before Wednesday’s preseason practice.

“… He hits me with, ‘DK, you know a little bit about wide receiver. Why don’t you coach ‘em?’ I looked around and I’ll be honest: I tried to get out of it initially.

“But Willie Taggart being Willie Taggart and the respect I have for him and all … he’s such a good recruiter he finally convinced me after about 30 seconds. He said, ‘Yeah, you’re the wide receiver coach.’ And I said, ‘Hey, let’s go get this thing.’”

Kelly was associate head coach at UCF and on the fast track to becoming a college football head coach. He could have been a candidate to replace George O’Leary leading the Knights.

But Kelly and former UCF athletics director Keith Tribble were fired in 2011. NCAA investigators accused them of ethical misconduct for allegedly lying to school officials and NCAA representatives about an investigation into impermissible benefits given to UCF football and basketball recruits. Kelly denied the allegations and the NCAA’s claim he committed recruiting violations.

Kelly served a one-year showcause penalty, spent two seasons in the Canadian Football League as an assistant head coach and running backs coach, helped out at various coaching clinics and interned with the Arizona Cardinals before returning to work for Taggart in 2016.

Since his return, Kelly became so immersed in the personnel and oversight aspects of college football, he was not sure if he was ready to jump back into a coaching position.

Now, Taggart refers to Kelly as the Godfather. The Florida State receivers appreciate Kelly’s constant advice.

“Initially, I wasn’t sure I wanted to get back on the field or not because I made this, building a new roster, my thrill and passion,” Kelly said. “All of a sudden after the first day of spring, I said, ‘Woo, I like this again.’ And now I wouldn’t give it up for anything.”