Gus on the list to replace taggert

[aubiefifty 18,222]

Kentucky’s Mark Stoops headlines list of potential candidates to replace Willie Taggart at FSU

9-12 minutes

Willie Taggart is out at Florida State and it seems unlikely that the school will take long to begin their coaching search for a new leader of the Seminoles.

Who could the program turn to over the coming weeks as they search for a replacement? A few familiar names in FSU circles likely headline their shortlist of candidates but a few others who have made big strides in recent years at other programs will likely make their way to the top of every search firm’s roster of names as well.

Here are a few names to keep an eye on:

Mark Stoops, Kentucky

The first name many will bring up with the opening is the former FSU defensive coordinator. He obviously has head coaching experience in the South and his connections in the Sunshine State and other fertile recruiting areas are a nice feather in his cap too. He has done a great job in Lexington between the lines too, leading the Wildcats to their third-ever 10-win season last year and generally raising the floor of the program from the dregs of the SEC. One question is whether FSU can pony up for him after dropping $20+ million moving on from Taggart as Stoops’ salary escalates up to $6 million eventually and he has a buyout of just under $2 million if he wants to leave. Brother Bob, the former Oklahoma and current XFL Dallas head coach, is also likely to get traction and used to coach up the road in Gainesville as well.

Mike Norvell, Memphis

After his Tigers beat SMU to take the inside track at the Group of Five bid, Norvell’s stock has never been higher. He’s turned down SEC programs in the past but a gig like FSU could be something that garners his interest. He doesn’t have any deep state of Florida ties but that might be a good thing. His offenses have been among the most explosive in the country and he knows as well as anybody how to find under the radar talent and develop it.

P.J. Fleck, Minnesota

Can the boat be rowed to Tally? Fleck spent time in nearby Tampa as an assistant for the Buccaneers and has specialized in turning around programs at Western Michigan and now with the Gophers. He’s 8-0 this year and in the top 15 in the Twin Cities and has a ton of energy that could help with the transition. He’s recruited well in past stops and that would come in handy given the battles Florida’s big three have over players.

Brent Venables, Clemson defensive coordinator

The Kansas native has been extremely picky about taking his first head coaching gig but FSU is on the level of programs he would likely be intrigued by. He’s helped Dabo Swinney turn Clemson into a juggernaut and been a big part in some lopsided wins over the Seminoles. The familiarity with the ACC and the recruiting areas the school frequents is huge but there would be some questions as to what direction he would take with his staff and on offense.

Tony Elliott, Clemson co-offensive coordinator

All three of the Tigers coordinators (including fellow co-coordinator Jeff Scott) likely will garner interest on the coaching carousel but Elliott seems like a great fit. He won the Broyles Award in 2017 as the nation’s top assistant and his demeanor and workman-like approach could fit in well in Tallahassee.

Lane Kiffin, FAU

I mean, why not? He knows the state well from his time in Boca and has the kind of attitude that most ‘Noles fans would love to embrace in the gig. Highly regarded as a recruiter and play-caller, his ability to bring Nick Saban’s “Process” back to the program would also be viewed as a plus. A long shot sure, but you could also see it working out better than some others.

Willie Fritz, Tulane

Fans may wince at hiring another coach without a winning record (he’s 22-24 with the Green Wave) but Fritz has won at nearly every level of football and done a masterful job rebuilding in New Orleans and beyond. He’ll turn 60 next year which works against him but could well prove a stabilizing force as Florida State likely finds a new president and AD in the coming years.

Gus Malzahn, Auburn

Gus has been on a revolving hot seat during his time on the Plains and even with eight or nine wins this year might be given a golden parachute by the Tigers to finally end the rocky relationship. FSU fans know Malzahn can lead his team to the final game of the year after all and he can bring pedigree and coaching experience other candidates lack. It’s a bit outside the box but ticks a lot of boxes when you think about it.

A few that could get in the mix as well: Matt Campbell (Iowa State), Tom Allen (Indiana), Dave Clawson (Wake Forest), Luke Fickell (Cincinnati), Josh Heupel (UCF). One not to consider? Urban Meyer.

Florida State fired head coach Willie Taggart on Sunday after just short of two years at the school but the embattled 43-year-old is taking the high road to his quick departure.

Issuing a statement via his Twitter account, Taggart thanked the program he grew up rooting for while also expressing his sadness over the unfortunate ending that nobody involved wanted but ultimately played out in Tallahassee:

Taggart ends his time at FSU with a 9-12 mark overall and 6-9 record in ACC play. The Seminoles were his fourth head coaching gig over the past decade, which included stops at Oregon, USF and Western Kentucky on his way to a 56-62 record in charge.

Though Taggart is rightfully disappointed over the way things played out after the team’s loss to Miami, at least he’ll be well compensated for his quick exit as the reported buyout of his contract will cost the school some $17 million in addition to the roughly $10 million in salary he already made.

Getting blown-out by Boston College is hazardous to one’s career.

Adding to the list of surprisingly unsurprising firings on Sunday in the ACC, Syracuse announced that defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Brian Ward has been let go from his position after a 58-27 loss to the Eagles over the weekend.

“I want to thank Coach Ward for everything he’s done for Syracuse University and this football team,” head coach Dino Babers announced in a statement. “However I felt a change needed to be made at this time to give us the best opportunity for success moving forward. Coach Stanard is an experienced defensive coach. He’s been here for three years now and understands the culture of our program. I’m confident in his ability to lead that side of the ball.”

Former Nebraska defensive end and the Orange’s current line coach Steve Stanard will take over play-calling duties for the defense the rest of the season.

Syracuse currently ranks 92nd nationally in scoring defense, giving up just over 30 points per game in 2019. That’s not too far off from where the team was last season (27 ppg allowed) but the team’s record is obviously a far cry from what it was as they’ve slumped to 3-6 overall and remain winless in conference play.

It couldn’t have been easy for Babers to let Ward go as the two have been together since their Western Illinois days but the slippage on the field and the loss column was just too hard to ignore after the latest result for the team.

A day after a disappointing loss to in-state rival Miami, Florida State announced they have pulled the plug on the Willie Taggart era in Tallahassee and fired the embattled head coach after just over a year in charge.

“I think very highly of Coach Taggart and wish him well, but in the interest of the university we had no choice to make a change,” FSU president John Thrasher said in a statement. “We will support our student-athletes in every way do all we can to return to the winning tradition that is Seminole football.”

“I spoke to Coach Taggart this afternoon to let him know of our decision,” AD David Coburn added. “I met with the team and coaches immediately after that conversation to let them know of the change. It was very important to us that the student-athletes know right away.”

FSU currently sits at 4-5 on the season after the loss at home to the Hurricanes in a sparsely attended game at Doak Campbell Stadium.

Taggart’s record with the Seminoles will stand at just 9-12 overall as a result, including a 6-9 mark in ACC play. His departure will be a costly one for the school, with a buyout in the range of nearly $17.7 million on a contract that was originally a six-year deal signed in December of 2017. Including stops at FSU, Oregon, USF and Western Kentucky, Taggart’s overall record as a head coach is 56–62 across 10 seasons in charge.

Odell Haggins will be Florida State’s interim head coach the rest of this season, a position he served previously after Jimbo Fisher left for Texas A&M two years ago.

A productive weekend in South Bend for Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly got a little better on Sunday afternoon.

According to 247Sports, Ohio State graduate transfer safety Isaiah Pryor has committed to joining the Irish after a pair of visits to campus the past few weeks.

One of the top defensive backs on the transfer market, Pryor was originally a four-star recruit out of the class of 2017 who had offers from all the regulars like Alabama, LSU and, of course the Buckeyes. 247Sports notes his first offer was actually from the Irish so it’s pretty clear the coaching staff is high on what the redshirt junior can do between the lines.

Assuming there’s no holdup, Pryor should have two seasons to play beginning in 2020. That’s big for Notre Dame given that another transfer, Alohi Gilman, will be vacating one of the starting safety spots after this year.

Pryor played in 27 games for Ohio State, starting seven of them in 2018. He recorded 44 tackles during his time in Columbus along with one interception.

[Mike4AU 1,755]

10 minutes ago, aubiefifty said:

Kentucky’s Mark Stoops headlines list of potential candidates to replace Willie Taggart at FSU

9-12 minutes

Willie Taggart is out at Florida State and it seems unlikely that the school will take long to begin their coaching search for a new leader of the Seminoles.

Who could the program turn to over the coming weeks as they search for a replacement? A few familiar names in FSU circles likely headline their shortlist of candidates but a few others who have made big strides in recent years at other programs will likely make their way to the top of every search firm’s roster of names as well.

Here are a few names to keep an eye on:

Mark Stoops, Kentucky

The first name many will bring up with the opening is the former FSU defensive coordinator. He obviously has head coaching experience in the South and his connections in the Sunshine State and other fertile recruiting areas are a nice feather in his cap too. He has done a great job in Lexington between the lines too, leading the Wildcats to their third-ever 10-win season last year and generally raising the floor of the program from the dregs of the SEC. One question is whether FSU can pony up for him after dropping $20+ million moving on from Taggart as Stoops’ salary escalates up to $6 million eventually and he has a buyout of just under $2 million if he wants to leave. Brother Bob, the former Oklahoma and current XFL Dallas head coach, is also likely to get traction and used to coach up the road in Gainesville as well.

Mike Norvell, Memphis

After his Tigers beat SMU to take the inside track at the Group of Five bid, Norvell’s stock has never been higher. He’s turned down SEC programs in the past but a gig like FSU could be something that garners his interest. He doesn’t have any deep state of Florida ties but that might be a good thing. His offenses have been among the most explosive in the country and he knows as well as anybody how to find under the radar talent and develop it.

P.J. Fleck, Minnesota

Can the boat be rowed to Tally? Fleck spent time in nearby Tampa as an assistant for the Buccaneers and has specialized in turning around programs at Western Michigan and now with the Gophers. He’s 8-0 this year and in the top 15 in the Twin Cities and has a ton of energy that could help with the transition. He’s recruited well in past stops and that would come in handy given the battles Florida’s big three have over players.

Brent Venables, Clemson defensive coordinator

The Kansas native has been extremely picky about taking his first head coaching gig but FSU is on the level of programs he would likely be intrigued by. He’s helped Dabo Swinney turn Clemson into a juggernaut and been a big part in some lopsided wins over the Seminoles. The familiarity with the ACC and the recruiting areas the school frequents is huge but there would be some questions as to what direction he would take with his staff and on offense.

Tony Elliott, Clemson co-offensive coordinator

All three of the Tigers coordinators (including fellow co-coordinator Jeff Scott) likely will garner interest on the coaching carousel but Elliott seems like a great fit. He won the Broyles Award in 2017 as the nation’s top assistant and his demeanor and workman-like approach could fit in well in Tallahassee.

Lane Kiffin, FAU

I mean, why not? He knows the state well from his time in Boca and has the kind of attitude that most ‘Noles fans would love to embrace in the gig. Highly regarded as a recruiter and play-caller, his ability to bring Nick Saban’s “Process” back to the program would also be viewed as a plus. A long shot sure, but you could also see it working out better than some others.

Willie Fritz, Tulane

Fans may wince at hiring another coach without a winning record (he’s 22-24 with the Green Wave) but Fritz has won at nearly every level of football and done a masterful job rebuilding in New Orleans and beyond. He’ll turn 60 next year which works against him but could well prove a stabilizing force as Florida State likely finds a new president and AD in the coming years.

Gus Malzahn, Auburn

Gus has been on a revolving hot seat during his time on the Plains and even with eight or nine wins this year might be given a golden parachute by the Tigers to finally end the rocky relationship. FSU fans know Malzahn can lead his team to the final game of the year after all and he can bring pedigree and coaching experience other candidates lack. It’s a bit outside the box but ticks a lot of boxes when you think about it.

A few that could get in the mix as well: Matt Campbell (Iowa State), Tom Allen (Indiana), Dave Clawson (Wake Forest), Luke Fickell (Cincinnati), Josh Heupel (UCF). One not to consider? Urban Meyer.

Florida State fired head coach Willie Taggart on Sunday after just short of two years at the school but the embattled 43-year-old is taking the high road to his quick departure.

Issuing a statement via his Twitter account, Taggart thanked the program he grew up rooting for while also expressing his sadness over the unfortunate ending that nobody involved wanted but ultimately played out in Tallahassee:

Taggart ends his time at FSU with a 9-12 mark overall and 6-9 record in ACC play. The Seminoles were his fourth head coaching gig over the past decade, which included stops at Oregon, USF and Western Kentucky on his way to a 56-62 record in charge.

Though Taggart is rightfully disappointed over the way things played out after the team’s loss to Miami, at least he’ll be well compensated for his quick exit as the reported buyout of his contract will cost the school some $17 million in addition to the roughly $10 million in salary he already made.

Getting blown-out by Boston College is hazardous to one’s career.

Adding to the list of surprisingly unsurprising firings on Sunday in the ACC, Syracuse announced that defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Brian Ward has been let go from his position after a 58-27 loss to the Eagles over the weekend.

“I want to thank Coach Ward for everything he’s done for Syracuse University and this football team,” head coach Dino Babers announced in a statement. “However I felt a change needed to be made at this time to give us the best opportunity for success moving forward. Coach Stanard is an experienced defensive coach. He’s been here for three years now and understands the culture of our program. I’m confident in his ability to lead that side of the ball.”

Former Nebraska defensive end and the Orange’s current line coach Steve Stanard will take over play-calling duties for the defense the rest of the season.

Syracuse currently ranks 92nd nationally in scoring defense, giving up just over 30 points per game in 2019. That’s not too far off from where the team was last season (27 ppg allowed) but the team’s record is obviously a far cry from what it was as they’ve slumped to 3-6 overall and remain winless in conference play.

It couldn’t have been easy for Babers to let Ward go as the two have been together since their Western Illinois days but the slippage on the field and the loss column was just too hard to ignore after the latest result for the team.

A day after a disappointing loss to in-state rival Miami, Florida State announced they have pulled the plug on the Willie Taggart era in Tallahassee and fired the embattled head coach after just over a year in charge.

“I think very highly of Coach Taggart and wish him well, but in the interest of the university we had no choice to make a change,” FSU president John Thrasher said in a statement. “We will support our student-athletes in every way do all we can to return to the winning tradition that is Seminole football.”

“I spoke to Coach Taggart this afternoon to let him know of our decision,” AD David Coburn added. “I met with the team and coaches immediately after that conversation to let them know of the change. It was very important to us that the student-athletes know right away.”

FSU currently sits at 4-5 on the season after the loss at home to the Hurricanes in a sparsely attended game at Doak Campbell Stadium.

Taggart’s record with the Seminoles will stand at just 9-12 overall as a result, including a 6-9 mark in ACC play. His departure will be a costly one for the school, with a buyout in the range of nearly $17.7 million on a contract that was originally a six-year deal signed in December of 2017. Including stops at FSU, Oregon, USF and Western Kentucky, Taggart’s overall record as a head coach is 56–62 across 10 seasons in charge.

Odell Haggins will be Florida State’s interim head coach the rest of this season, a position he served previously after Jimbo Fisher left for Texas A&M two years ago.

A productive weekend in South Bend for Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly got a little better on Sunday afternoon.

According to 247Sports, Ohio State graduate transfer safety Isaiah Pryor has committed to joining the Irish after a pair of visits to campus the past few weeks.

One of the top defensive backs on the transfer market, Pryor was originally a four-star recruit out of the class of 2017 who had offers from all the regulars like Alabama, LSU and, of course the Buckeyes. 247Sports notes his first offer was actually from the Irish so it’s pretty clear the coaching staff is high on what the redshirt junior can do between the lines.

Assuming there’s no holdup, Pryor should have two seasons to play beginning in 2020. That’s big for Notre Dame given that another transfer, Alohi Gilman, will be vacating one of the starting safety spots after this year.

Pryor played in 27 games for Ohio State, starting seven of them in 2018. He recorded 44 tackles during his time in Columbus along with one interception.

FSU is a total disaster right now.  I think the only coaches who would be interested in this job are those who are in an even worse situation  or those who are on the brink of firing. I just don’t see any rocket in the pocket coach, nor a coach in a stable job being remotely interested in the job. 

[Dan-0 479]

Free Shoes University won´t hire Gus. We should be so lucky, but they won´t hire him.

[doug3020 842]

I wish they’d hire him. 

[api1957 1,783]

[CleCoTiger 1,957]

As I said in the rivals forum, anyone mentioning Malzahn as a serious candidate at FSU right now is either high, drunk or hung over.  Just ain't seeing it.

[Eagle-1 3,821]

🙏

[JBiGGiE 2,488]

Acquiring Gus alone means the FSU football program would had to have ponied up $46M dollars in buyouts. Personally I think FSU would be getting a good hire in Gus... but much like Auburn, for that kind of cash you need a bomb hire. And from the Florida State point of view I can understand the apprehension.

Another consideration is that FSU's recruiting sphere is in Auburn's recruiting sphere as well. Recruiting is difficult enough without thinking of Malzahn snatching up recruits that would've gone to Auburn. It's bad enough that Clemson can snatch top talent right from our back yard, best believe a Malzahn lead FSU would do it on the reg...

So while it is unlikely that FSU would pull the trigger to get Gus Malzahn, I personally don't wish to see it happen. 

[far_away_fan 101]

I don't think they'd take the risk with Gus' buyout ontop of having to pay Willie's buyout too.

[selias 2,398]

It won't happen but...

 

[DAG 34,751]

Pay that money and grab him FSU

[alexava 6,974]

I think Auburn would wave off the buyout. 

[ToomersStreet 797]

Gus Malzahn is a borderline world beater thatis unfortunately situated between Bama and  UGA and is held to  an impossible standard, per Kerk Herbstriet.  FSU woud be lucky to have him.

[Linayus 676]

Off that list - Lane Kiffin is the only one I think crazy enough to accept the job.

[Beaker 2,457]

Hey, how about Auburn wave the buyout and we offer to pay half of Gus' salary at FSU for 4 yrs?  

That is a huge WIN-WIN -WIN ! !

 

FSU gets a credible coach without paying Gus' buyout and gets him for 50 cents on the dollar.

Auburn gets a cheap buyout.

Gus gets a new house and fresh start.

 

Someone forward this to Allen.

 

 

 

 

[Tigerpro2a 5,650]

I honestly don't think that Gus would go to FSU or even consider it. Regardless of Auburn status.

[shabby 2,039]

Just shows you how wacky some of our fans are. He's a terrible coach but every year other schools come after him.  Gus has the 3rd highest percentages of victories against top ten teams of all Auburn coaches. Maybe he aint as terrible as disgruntled fans want to make him out to be.

[JBiGGiE 2,488]

55 minutes ago, alexava said:

I think Auburn would wave off the buyout. 

[DAG 34,751]

9 minutes ago, shabby said:

Just shows you how wacky some of our fans are. He's a terrible coach but every year other schools come after him.  Gus has the 3rd highest percentages of victories against top ten teams of all Auburn coaches. Maybe he aint as terrible as disgruntled fans want to make him out to be.

Schools in desperation overload . You didn’t point that out. I highly doubt once NS retires Alabama will come calling. 

[nurbis 579]

14 minutes ago, shabby said:

Just shows you how wacky some of our fans are. He's a terrible coach but every year other schools come after him.  Gus has the 3rd highest percentages of victories against top ten teams of all Auburn coaches. Maybe he aint as terrible as disgruntled fans want to make him out to be.

Who has come after him, Arkansas and supposedly FSU?

Malzahn was only a realistic option for the Arkansas job because Auburn fans were unhappy with him to the point he might have been fired and be available. He was never going to leave Auburn for Arkansas,  that job is a huge step down. Malzahn just used Arkansas's interest to get a huge raise.  

Malzahn is not a candidate for the FSU job regardless of whether or not some random sports writer puts his name on a list. Even the guy writing the article said it is an outside the box option.

Nobody is coming after him.

[Tiger 8,854]

18 minutes ago, shabby said:

Just shows you how wacky some of our fans are. He's a terrible coach but every year other schools come after him.  Gus has the 3rd highest percentages of victories against top ten teams of all Auburn coaches. Maybe he aint as terrible as disgruntled fans want to make him out to be.

Ah yes the long and honorable history of championship prestige that is Arkansas was clamoring for him last year we are so lucky he's our coach LOL 

[shabby 2,039]

1 hour ago, Tiger said:

Ah yes the long and honorable history of championship prestige that is Arkansas was clamoring for him last year we are so lucky he's our coach LOL 

did you bother to read the title of this thread? doing so probably doesn't support your narrative. 

[Tiger 8,854]

Just now, shabby said:

did you bother to read the title of this thread? doing so probably doesn't support your narrative. 

You know this isn't an official list, right? That list of names will also be listed for USC and any other p5 school. Arkansas has been the only school that has ever had any serious interest in plucking Gus from us. The second biggest threat was that possibly someone in the NFL could go after him "a few years down the line" back in 2013.

[Zeek 16,953]

I would contribute to the buyout for FSU to take him. Then, I hope he nets them 8-11 wins every year and stays there happy as a pie occasionally cucking Clemson.

[alexava 6,974]

2 hours ago, JBiGGiE said:

Not usually. But we are the most screwed up team in sports when it comes to business decisions. If it has never been done we are bound to be the first.