Florida State Football: Could Mark Stoops be the answer?

Florida State football under Willie Taggart ceases to amaze. If the Seminoles decide to part ways with him, a certain SEC coach could be the answer

Last week, I read that the greatest thing to ever happen to Oregon football was Jimbo Fisher excepting the head coaching job at Texas A&M. With Fisher’s exit from Tallahassee, Oregon was relieved of Willie Taggart. You could possibly say that Florida State football ended up with the raw end of the deal.

We won’t even talk about last season. Considering it was Taggart’s first year in Tallahassee, we will give him a break. But if you think we are going to ignore the dumpster fire that Florida State is putting on the field this year, then you are dead wrong.

Going into the half of the first game of the season the Seminoles are up on the Boise State Broncos, 31-19. Thirty minutes later, the Broncos leave Doak Campbell Stadium victorious.

How? You might ask. FSU looked real during the first half. Some even thought, “Is this a possible ACC title contender?” That thought didn’t hang around too long. To be honest, the team just quit. And this wasn’t due to “dehydration” or an unhealthy performance, as Coach Taggart would explain it, they just plain out quit.

This isn’t a Florida State issue either. Looking back, Willie Taggart has had his fair share of close games and poor performances no matter his employer. Multiple games stand out at Western Kentucky, and most recently, Arizona State’s victory during his short-lived tenure at Oregon.

Players lining up backwards? Okay, if you say that’s an actual play, then we’ll believe you. But blaming losses on dehydration and then throwing your offensive coordinator (Kendall Briles) under the bus for poor play-calling against Virginia, that’s not going to cut it.

If these shenanigans keep up, then Taggart’s homecoming will be cut short. Florida State is a promising program, and even though they have made some questionable financial decisions in the past, they are still very focused on winning championships.

If Taggart is fired, then Florida State can find the answer to their problems 650 miles north in Lexington, Ky.

Mark Stoops, possibly the greatest Kentucky football coach since Paul “Bear” Bryant, has proved that you can take nothing and turn it into something. Within six years, Coach Stoops practically flipped his record. From 2-10 to 10-3.

Last year’s Kentucky squad ended the season ranked No. 12  in the country. They finished behind Georgia as the second-ranked team in the SEC Eastern Division. With victories over Florida, Mississippi State and Penn State, and an OT battle with Texas A&M, the Wildcats looked phenomenal.

Many thought the 2018 season was a fluke, but Kentucky is on track of proving those nay sayers wrong in 2019. Kentucky was merely seconds away from taking down No. 9 Florida in Week 3 of the season.

Coach Stoops also has the ability to recruit areas in and around Tallahassee, including south Florida. Under Larry Coker at Miami he served as defensive backs coach during the Hurricane’s back-to-back national championship game appearances, one of which they won.

Three years at Florida State under Jimbo Fisher, Stoops had tremendous success as defensive coordinator. He helped lead the Seminoles to an ACC Championship and set them up for a national championship run.

If things continue to get silly in Tallahassee, then FSU’s man is waiting patiently in the SEC. Stoops, a proven winner, is exactly what the Seminoles need to return to the national title spotlight.