College coaching changes often are toughest on the oldest players, not the youngest.
A freshman might just be getting used to his first coach. A sophomore can take solace in knowing that he has two more years to fit in with the new regime.
A junior, however, has neither luxury. A junior has been entrenched in the previous system for at least three years, and he typically has only one season to find his niche with the new staff.
Such is the predicament facing Florida State tailback Jacques Patrick.
While Patrick already was planning to consider his future at the end of this season -- either entering the NFL Draft of returning for his senior campaign -- the resignation of Jimbo Fisher and arrival of Willie Taggart only adds more variables to the equation.
With that in mind, Patrick says he will wait until after Wednesday’s Independence Bowl game against Southern Miss to make a decision.
“I need to get my information gathered before I make my decision and do the best thing for me and my family,” Patrick said.
Taggart, who was named head coach earlier this month, already has made his case to the Seminoles’ second-leading rusher in a one-on-one meeting. He has explained that his offense will not be difficult to learn and that he’d love to have Patrick’s size and skills at his disposal.
Up until this point, the 6-foot-3, 234-pounder has been non-committal. But Taggart was very excited to hear that Patrick took it upon himself to reach out to one of Taggart’s former players, Oregon tailback Royce Freeman, for advice.
Freeman, of course, faced very similar circumstances one year ago.
Freeman had been limited by injuries as a junior, just like Patrick. His team had been coming off of a surprisingly poor season, just like Patrick. And he knew that a strong senior season could make him a more attractive prospect for the NFL Draft.
