Taggart makes impression
Energy, passion of first-year coach fire up former greats
TALLAHASSEE — No figure in Florida State football history may have a closer connection to new coach Willie Taggart than NFL Hall of Fame linebacker Derrick Brooks.
Taggart and Brooks, an FSU and Tampa Bay Buccaneers legend, started a friendship that began when Taggart took the USF coaching job in 2013.
And when Taggart was identified as a FSU coaching candidate after Jimbo Fisher left for Texas A&M, FSU president John Thrasher and athletics director Stan Wilcox reached out to Brooks to gain perspective on Taggart’s coaching pedigree.
Five months into Taggart’s tenure, Brooks believes his friend is bringing a level of energy and accountability the Seminoles have lacked in recent years.
“I think right now, it’s the right time for a coach of his personality and dynamic to lead our program,” Brooks said of Taggart.
“I’m excited to see how everybody else is excited about him. I’ve known him longer than any of us alumni, but it’s nice to see how the other alumni receive him.”
Before Florida State’s spring game Saturday, which drew an announced record crowd of 53,974, Taggart welcomed more than 300 former Seminole players for a re-