After reviewing film, Taggart 'excited' about new-look offensive line

Willie Taggart talked about a variety of topics during his first booster event on Tuesday in Jacksonville.

He spoke about culture, Kendal Briles, uniforms, expectations, playbooks (as in not having them), true freshmen, defense and his own ego.

But the thing that he mentioned that likely matters most to his short-term success as Florida State’s head football coach was the position segment that has been rightly maligned more than any other in recent years.

"I think we had some ideas of what we want to do up front, where we want to put guys, to make sure that we have a solid offensive line," Taggart said, adding that he liked what he saw from first-year OL coach Randy Clements. "The one thing I'm excited about is that I think we have more depth up front. And not have to worry about if someone goes down and you don't know who to go to or you have to go to someone that's probably not ready yet.

"I think we'll be better from that standpoint."

The FSU offensive line wasn't just bad in 2018, it was historically inept. Going by sheer numbers from Pro Football Focus, it was the worst in the country. It performed poorly in both run-blocking and pass-protection.

Given the circumstances, it wasn't all that surprising. Due to injuries and other attrition, the Seminoles had a backup guard starting at tackle, a converted defensive lineman starting at guard, and several players thrown into action before they were ready.

So Taggart figured he might get asked about it — a lot — during spring practice. And he did.