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College Football: Grading every new Power Five head coach in 2018

By John Mitchell

LINCOLN, NE - SEPTEMBER 15: Head coach Scott Frost of the Nebraska Cornhuskers watches late game action against the Troy Trojans at Memorial Stadium on September 15, 2018 in Lincoln, Nebraska. (Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images)
LINCOLN, NE - SEPTEMBER 15: Head coach Scott Frost of the Nebraska Cornhuskers watches late game action against the Troy Trojans at Memorial Stadium on September 15, 2018 in Lincoln, Nebraska. (Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images) /
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Florida State football
(Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images) /

6. Willie Taggart – Florida State

  • Record: 3-3 (1-3)
  • Grade: C+

Willie Taggart’s hiring in Tallahassee to replace Jimbo Fisher was mostly met with positive reaction despite him just spending just one season as the head coach of a power five program at Oregon.

Taggart is no stranger to rebuilding jobs, having completed total rebuilds at Western Kentucky and South Florida before getting the opportunity to take over in Eugene. Taggart left Oregon after just one season to take over at what he called his dream job at Florida State.

It was supposed to be a much smoother transition, with Jimbo Fisher leaving a lot of talent on the Seminoles roster when he left. Florida State’s average recruiting class finish over the last five cycles is 5.4, so not many teams should have more talent on the roster than the ‘Noles.

Even after last season’s disappointing 7-6 finish, Florida State was still projected in the preseason to be one of Clemson’s biggest threats in the ACC, especially with the return of QB Deondre Francois from injury.

Instead, the Seminoles are 3-3 and will struggle to garner bowl eligibility unless they are able to spring an upset or two down the stretch. Some fans have already taken to calling for Taggart’s head, unused to mediocrity following Fisher’s regime and Bobby Bowden’s before it.

But even with the strong recruiting, Florida State has had some real issues on the offensive line with injuries and lack of player development that has hindered Taggart’s offense from being what it could be. He is a proven recruiter, so talent won’t be an issue at Tallahassee while he is there, but it remains to be seen whether he can develop talent at this high of a level.

I’m still a firm believer in Taggart’s ability to coach, and I think he will get things figured out at Florida State.

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