FSU administration confident in new Taggart staff; baseball search ongoing

By the time the dust had settled on Florida State's woeful 5-7 season in 2018 -- the Seminoles' first sub-.500 campaign in more than 40 years -- everyone affiliated with the program knew that changes were needed.

The Seminoles' offense was dysfunctional, the special-teams were a disaster, and the defense wasn't a whole lot better.

When all was said and done, head coach Willie Taggart ended up firing two assistant coaches, replacing another who left on his own, reassigning one to an off-field role and then juggling the responsibilities of two others. Of the 10 assistant coaches in place for 2019, only four are returning in the same exact roles that they held last season.

While that much turnover might seem alarming after just one season, FSU's administration -- specifically university president John Thrasher and athletics director David Coburn -- expressed confidence in recent interviews with Warchant that Taggart has gotten it right the second time around.

"We worked together on that," Coburn said of the staff changes. "There were things we had to do to make that work. ... He knows what he needs to do, and I think has shown that he's willing to do what he needs to do."

Knowing that change is needed is one thing. Making the right changes -- and being able to pay for them -- is something entirely different.

Bringing in new offensive coordinator Kendal Briles, for example, came with a pretty hefty price tag. The Seminoles are paying Briles $1 million per year, which is $300,000 more than former coordinator Walt Bell was making. They also had to pay a $900,000 buyout to get Briles released from his former employer, Houston.

While that is a major financial commitment and much more than the Seminoles had ever invested in an offensive coordinator, Thrasher said the Seminoles weren't acting out of desperation. He said once Taggart zeroed in on Briles as the perfect fit for what he needed in a coordinator, the administration was willing to make it happen financially, as long as the deal came in within reason.

"It wasn't, 'Whatever it takes,'" Thrasher said, adding that he's gotten every indication so far that Taggart made a terrific hire.

"Briles has bought into this place," the president said. "He brought his family here, his kids are in school here, he's a workaholic -- he's got a great work ethic. From everything I've heard, he's got some great ideas about improving the offense. And the kids love him ... they really do."

Taggart also brought in Briles' longtime colleague, offensive line coach Randy Clements, to ensure continuity when implementing the new offensive system. And the Seminoles also hired former FSU star Ron Dugans, who worked for Taggart at USF, to serve as wide receivers coach.