Leavitt is hired as analyst

Taggart’s newest addition to bolster Seminoles defense

Florida State coach Willie Taggart has added former USF coach Jim Leavitt to his staff with the hope he can help improve the Seminoles defense.

Leavitt, who was Taggart’s defensive coordinator during his sole season at Oregon, is FSU’s new quality-control analyst. Defensive coordinator Harlon Barnett is expected to continue leading the Seminoles defense.

“I think it’s a great addition to our football staff and our football team to get someone of that quality and that experience to be in a defensive role,” Taggart said of Leavitt. “Someone that Coach Barnett and the other defensive coaches can lean on. I think it’s a plus for our football team, and I think it’ll help our football team.”

Taggart said Barnett was a part of the discussion ahead of hiring the 62-year-old Leavitt.

“I talked to Coach Barnett and told him my thinking and what I wanted for our football team and … he was excited it would help our football team,” Taggart said. “Whenever we can help our football team and help ourselves get better, we’re going to try and do that.”

Leavitt’s coaching experience stretches back to the late 1970s when he was a graduate assistant at Missouri and includes a 12-year head coaching stint at USF from 1997-2009.

“I think his knowledge of defense and his understanding of defense — his experience by itself is going to help,” Taggart said. “And again, just having him in that room, somebody that Coach Barnett can lean on and talk to, it’s a plus for our football team.”

Taggart said he had a conversation in the past with Leavitt about filling the position.

“It’s something we had talked about before and I picked up the phone, called and he said, ‘Absolutely,’ ” Taggart said.

Leavitt was at practice Thursday observing the team. When asked whether he will travel to Charlottesville as the Seminoles (1-1) take on No. 25 Virginia (2-0, 1-0 ACC) on Saturday, Taggart smiled and said, “We’ll see.”

Taggart also said Stanford Samuels Jr., who was hired as a defensive analyst earlier this year, is still with the program.

The defense has been an area of concern after giving up more than 1,000 yards during two game to non Power Five schools, but Taggart said one of the biggest issues is closer to being rectified.

“I thought from an alignment standpoint we were a lot better, and you attribute that to just point of emphasis,” he said. “You emphasize that in practice and you get what you emphasize. Coach Barnett put a big emphasis on that last week and they were better at that.”