Warchant Roundtable: Evaluating Taggart's coaching hires & more

With just a few days remaining before recruiting cranks back up, first-year Florida State head coach Willie Taggart is putting the finishing touches on his coaching staff. Taggart has hired seven of his 10 assistant coaches, and there's a strong chance he will wrap things up with the others this week.

With most of the staff in place, we've convened a meeting of our Warchant Roundtable to discuss the hiring process and how Taggart's staff is shaping up. Participating in this edition of the Roundtable are Warchant publisher Gene Williams, managing editor Ira Schoffel and senior writer Corey Clark.

1. What's your take on the hiring of Harlon Barnett as defensive coordinator? What are the major positives? Any concerns?

GENE: As mentioned in a prior roundtable, defensive coordinator was the most important hire for Willie Taggart. Being an offensive-minded coach, being able to delegate the defense to a competent coordinator will take a lot of pressure off of FSU’s first-year head coach. Even though Barnett may not be considered a “splash” hire like Dave Aranda or Mike Elko, he was probably the best hire under the circumstances.

There was no way FSU was going to pay $2 million-plus for a coordinator, and being able to land someone as respected as Barnett is a major coup for Taggart. If there’s a red flag, it’s that Barnett hasn’t overseen a defense with elite college talent or recruited in the Southeast. But that’s a minor concern, and given his resume of success, he is definitely an ‘A’ hire.

COREY: I think it's a great hire. Because he wasn't just Michigan State's co-defensive coordinator in name. According to the people I talked to there, he ran the thing. His fingerprints were all over it. And the Michigan State defense has been good for a long time. The Spartans think really, really highly of him up there. Not only that, but he played in the NFL for seven seasons. He also played for and coached under Nick Saban. He's on that tree.

He's aggressive, and he wants his defensive backs to go make plays. He trusts them to go make plays. I think it's just about a perfect fit for Florida State. I don't really have too many concerns, honestly. If he can put together a Top 10 defense at Michigan State -- which traditionally has far less talent than FSU -- then he should be able to put one together here. He's a winner. He's proven. And he's apparently a great mentor to his players. Nothing not to like.

IRA: I think it's an impressive hire for several reasons. No. 1, there doesn't appear to be any long-standing relationship between Taggart and Barnett. There may be one, but it's not apparent by comparing their work histories. So, we can tell right off the bat that Barnett must have interviewed extremely well. And from what we've heard from FSU contacts who have already dealt with him, he comes across as extremely bright; it's clear to them that he has a great football mind.

No. 2, the fact that he coached at Michigan State says a lot because the Spartans' biggest rival, of course, is Michigan. And one of Taggart's closest confidantes is Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh. One would have to assume Harbaugh and new FSU offensive line coach Greg Frey, who was on that Michigan staff, both had great things to say about Barnett's defenses for Taggart to make the hire. No. 3, the reactions from Michigan State players, media and fans really said it all. The guy apparently could not have been more well-respected there, and that's a great sign when you've been somewhere for as long as he has. And No. 4, the fact that Barnett was willing to leave his alma mater for Florida State likely also speaks to the way Taggart was able to communicate his vision. The money will be better for sure, but given Barnett's track record, he doesn't appear to be a guy chasing a quick buck.

As for concerns, I do think it will be worth watching how quickly he adapts his schemes and approach to a different style of football in the Southeast. I'm sure that much of what he has done in the past will translate, but he will be going against some different offensive attacks -- and some much more talented skill people -- than he saw in Big Ten country. From what we've heard about his intelligence, though, it shouldn't take him long to adjust.