This is long but definitely worth an amusing heartfelt laughing read. From The Athletic FSU beat writer lately:
“FSU’s Academic Progress Rate situation also remains tenuous. FSU football ended the 2017-18 academic year with APR score of 922 (out of 1,000), which dropped the four-year average to 936 — last nationally among FBS programs.“
“I'd disagree that Taggart left the program worse. There's a 2020 QB in hand in Jeff Sims and more offensive line help on the way. Also, the off the field situation has drastically improved. Next coach won't have an easy job, but undoubtedly will have an easier one than Taggart did.”
“Eight days later, Taggart was fired. He didn’t get the chance to show “sustained improvement” one week after the AD said he had “made significant progress” and could “recruit his way out of it.”
There’s isn’t precedent for what transpired with Taggart. He is in line to receive the second-largest buyout in college football history after less than two seasons of work. There weren’t any off-field scandals, contract violations or NCAA sanctions.
Charlie Weis was paid $18.9 million when Notre Dame fired him in 2009, but he’d been the coach for five years and finished out the season.”
“There’s something else that differentiates Taggart from most of his second-year counterparts (other than Edwards and Sumlin), something that was brought up even before his hiring. ...
Taggart became the first black head football coach in Florida State history. Along with Wilcox and basketball coach Leonard Hamilton, Florida State became the only Power 5 school in the country with a black athletic director, a black football coach and a black men’s basketball coach. FSU wasn’t shy about pushing that fact and received positive feedback for it.
Less than two years later, two of those three are gone”
“There are doubts that Florida State would replace Taggart with another black coach.
“I’m at a loss for words!” a Taggart signee’s parent who asked to remain anonymous said via text message. “I think they jumped the gun prematurely because the simple fact is that they will hire a white coach and give him the adequate time to bring his recruits into the system. Then, it would be that Taggart left the program a mess. The facts are that Jimbo left the program in shambles, but that will never be spoken of. There are fans that didn’t support this coach because he’s a black man. Mark my words, when they hire one of theirs, watch how the tables turn!”
“One longtime Seminoles Booster from south Florida who asked for anonymity said that while “it’s hard to argue with the eye test of the Miami game, I do have deep concerns that race did play a factor in this decision, but that is just my personal opinion. Anytime you have a group of all white men in a room making decisions on the future of a minority coach, it’s never a good look. While we had vocal fans and boosters who demanded a coaching change, we also have a large group of WiLLLLLLLie supporters who aren’t comfortable with this decision.”
“There’s no question he’d gotten off to a rough start at FSU. But the turnarounds had started in Year 3 at Western Kentucky and USF.”
“Ward said. “I know God will honor his work that he has done at FSU and the next coach will have a better place to start than he did. He was establishing a culture of accountability, team unity, responsibility, discipline and development of young men, but he just didn’t win enough.”
He also hits on Sofla’s point that this wasn’t an overnight decision. They were planning this for a while to raise the necessary cash.
I guess Sas was not right that this issue was only a lame joke on this board.
play in 1985 as Ricky Nattiel ran by him a few times to snare a pass and to meet Sanders in the end zone. Good times.
