I hope everybody had a great Holiday season. The next few days should get very interesting as more coaches are added to Willie Taggart's staff. We will do our best to provide intel on how the new staff is coming together.
1/9 @ 4:45 p.m.
OK, we held off on reporting this when we caught wind of it last week because we had it from a non-FSU source, but we've now heard mention of it from a second source, so we're going to go ahead and put this name out there as a candidate for the WR job: Kentucky wide receivers coach Lamar Thomas.
Although Thomas played at Miami, we're told that he has very strong interest in the job because he wants to get back to the state of Florida. Thomas has spent the past two years at UK after previously working at Louisville. Before that, he worked for Bobby Petrino at Western Kentucky after getting his start at Hampton.
Thomas current makes $300,000 at Kentucky, but he has not yet reached a new contract extension with the Wildcats, and his current deal actually expires in June. So, he's essentially a free agent if he doesn't re-sign with UK. If Willie Taggart were to hire Thomas, it would be a unique conclusion to the Ron Dugans saga, with the FSU grad Dugans staying at Miami and the UM grad Thomas coming here.
As we said earlier, this is coming from two non-FSU sources, but two sources who are close to Thomas. They both essentially said if Thomas gets an offer, he's taking the job. We're also hearing that a couple of candidates could be coming in for interviews Wednesday. We don't yet have those names. When we get more, we'll let you know.
1/9 @ 10:30 a.m.
Wish we had more "nuggets" but solid information has been slow to come by.
As we told people was likely happening last week, Ron Dugans if officially staying at Miami. It really came down to his family being happy in South Florida and his loyalty to Mark Richt.
With Dugans off the board, the question now is who will Willie Taggart target as his wide receiver coach? Some on this board have mentioned Mike Locksley. In checking around with sources, it does appear as though Taggart has at least reached to Alabama's wide receiver coach. That being said, I'm not sure how realistic it is for him to leave the Crimson Tide for the Seminoles. He is listed as the co-offensive coordinator but Brian Daboll really runs the offense. So possibly Taggart can offer the opportunity to have more control over an offense (although that also seems like a stretch because it will be Taggart's offense). In case you are wondering, Locksley's salary is $600K.
Chicago Bears coach Zach Azzanni is another name making the rounds for a possible wide receiver coach. He reportedly met with Taggart recently.
And as was mentioned on this board, also hearing Lance Guidry name for a potential spot on the defensive staff. He's another coach that was reportedly in town recently to meet with Taggart.
Sorry that some of this probably doesn't come as new but wanted to at least confirm that some of what's floating around on these guys is legit.
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1/5 -- 3:55 p.m.
Posted the story confirming Hampton's hiring.
Also, it's looking like two of Taggart's key support staff members at Oregon have officially left the Ducks and will be joining him at FSU.
* Sharrod Everett was Taggart's Director of Football Operations and associate athletics director at Oregon, USF and Western Kentucky. He is expected to assume the same role at FSU. His bio page has been removed from the Oregon site, but he is a Tennessee native and played DB at Campbellsville University. After graduating in 2004, he earned his master's in sports management at Xavier in 2006. He also previously worked with the Big Ten and at Northwestern before being hired by Taggart at Western Kentucky. As director of football operations, he would replace Mark Robinson, who left with Jimbo Fisher to Texas A&M.
* Trae Hackett was Associate Athletic Director of Athletic Student Services at Oregon, and he also worked for Taggart at USF and Western Kentucky. Hackett's bio page also has been removed from the Oregon site, but he played linebacker at Western Kentucky in the mid-1990s. He and Willie Taggart were team captains together. He is originally from Louisville. He received his bachelor's and master's degrees from WKU. It is not clear who's position he would take or if this will be a newly created position.
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1/5 @ Noon
There's a blog report that Alonzo Hampton will be hired as the special teams coach. We are working to confirm if this legitimate. It makes some sense as Hampton was a defensive analyst for Willie Taggart at Oregon. Before that he coached defensive backs at USF.
There is another report out that Irele Oderinde will be hired as the strength and conditioning coach. He was at Oregon last year but was suspended because of reportedly pushing players too hard. There are also reports that three landed in the hospital as a result.
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1/5 @ 10:45 a.m.
Figures, once I pointed out how everything was moving slowly Willie Taggart makes huge back to back hires. In case you missed it:
Taggart snares Spartans' Barnett to lead FSU defense
Former Seminole player Greg Frey hired as new FSU O-line coach
With the offensive line coach and defensive coordinator in place, I expect the rest of the staff to fill out pretty quickly. There's still a chance that Taggart could attend the upcoming Coaching Convention to interview candidates.
Assuming all the reports are correct, FSU has a total of six of its 10 assistant coaches in.
HC - Willie Taggart
OC - TBA
QB - TBA
TE - Telly Lockette
WR - TBA
RB - Donte Pimpleton
OL - Greg Frey
DL - Odell Haggins
LB - Raymond Woodie
DB - Harlon Barnett / (likely another coach as well here)
DE - TBA
DC - Harlon Barnett
ST - TBA
* Keep in mind that the new offensive and defensive coordinator will likely also coach a position
By the way, Terrell Buckley has officially opted to stay at Mississippi State. But we still expect Taggart/Barnett to hire another coach for the defensive backs.
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1/4 @ 5 p.m.
The hiring process for the defensive coordinator and the remaining assistant coaches has been painfully slow and is moving at a snail's pace. So I understand the frustration but will again remind people that the recruiting open period doesn't begin until Jan. 12. If we don't hear something very soon, it could be that Willie Taggart carries this process on through this weekend's American Football Coaches Association Convention in Charlotte. The Convention is a golden opportunity to meet with/interview several candidates behind closed doors. Considering it runs though the 10th, it doesn't give Taggart/FSU much wiggle room to get the entire staff in place.
Haven't heard much movement with the various position coach openings. It appears as though Harlon Barnett is the logical front-runner for the defensive coordinator opening but the way things have gone so far it's far from locked down.
On the defensive coordinator opening, there has been a lot of buzz about Georgia's Mel Tucker. Initially I didn't take it too seriously but checked around and there could be some merit to the chatter. Tucker did reach out to a high ranking FSU official recently to inquire about the position and what salary it might bring. The 45-year old has an impressive resume being a defensive coordinator in the NFL for three different teams, before joining Kirby Smart at Georgia in 2016. His college coaching experience includes stops at Miami, Ohio State, Alabama and LSU.
Tucker currently brings in an annual salary of $900K so FSU would have to pay well over $1 million to even have a shot at pulling him away from Athens. Even then, I'm guessing that UGA would counter and match whatever FSU offers. Seems like a stretch for him to leave and it's possible the interest could just be a negotiating ploy to up his salary, especially in light of recent huge paydays for fellow DCs Dave Aranda and Mike Elko. But it's also possible that he doesn't have the best relationship with Kirby Smart and wants to have complete autonomy over his defense. Nevertheless, my feeling is that Tucker coming to FSU is probably a long shot.
You probably know that Jimbo Fisher was able to lure Mike Elko away from Notre Dame by paying him approximately $2 million a year, effectively doubling his salary with the Irish. He probably should have held out for more. Dave Aranda turned down Fisher to stay at LSU with a salary of $2.5 million annually ($10 million guaranteed for four years). A source in the agent world tells us that Fisher offered Aranda a salary of around $3 million!
Willie Taggart may need to go back to FSU and ask for a larger pool to hire assistants if he hopes to land an elite defensive coordinator. Literally, within the the past couple weeks the salary range for coordinators has nearly doubled. Consider what's happened with the most recent big name hires/extensions with Leavitt, Aranda and Elko. Unless Taggart decides to elevate a position coach to a coordinator position, FSU will likely need to pay well over $1 million to hire a quality DC with experience.
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1/3 @ 5:30 p.m.
A Florida State source tells us that Harlon Barnett is currently on campus and interviewing with Willie Taggart for the defensive coordinator position. As we mentioned this morning, he is currently Michigan State's co-defensive coordinator and is making just under $500K per year. He's been the co-DC for Mark Dantonio the past three years and before that was the Spartans defensive backs coach for eight years. He also played in the NFL for 7 years.
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1/3 @ 2:45 p.m.
It's been brought to my attention that there's a report out there that Dugans may be visiting with Taggart today. He was in town yesterday so it's very possible he's still in Tallahassee. Whether they are meeting again or not doesn't change anything we reported. Maybe he's giving Taggart one more chance to talk to him. That doesn't change that he's told a lot of people he's staying at UM. Coaching searches like recruiting are always fluid and crazy turnarounds happen.
But please respect our rules. We aren't going to feed trolls or get into comparing sources or reports. If you like doing that, keep it off this board. Thanks.
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1/3 @ 11:30 a.m.
From talking to two sources today, it's looking like Ron Dugans will stay at Miami. This is a position coach that Willie Taggart probably had penciled into join him at Florida State considering his ties to the Seminoles and the fact that the two coached together at USF. No matter how you slice it, this is a bit of a blow to Taggart. We were told that Mark Richt just won Dugans over and convinced him that UM was better for his career path.
As was mentioned by many, Taggart did meet with Michigan's Greg Frey yesterday to discuss him coming into coach the offensive line. As we noted last week, this is close to a done deal and could become official shortly. The only concern is if Michigan comes up with an incredible offer (but it has happened before).
Yes, some defensive coordinator news. First, things are still alive for Wisconsin's Jim Leonhard. Things are still going back and forth between the two sides. But again I'll caution people that he's just one of a handful of candidates being considered.
Speaking of candidates, credit to Warchant poster @FEARmySPEAR76 for mentioning Harlon Barnett. We confirmed that Taggart has in fact reached out to the Michigan State co-defensive coordinator. Even though he has strong ties to his school (AA player there), he's only making a salary of $450K so FSU should be able to get him without breaking the bank. By the way, the Spartans finished the 2017 season with the No. 7 ranked total defense. Here is his bio from MSU.
Finally, the window is closing quickly for former FSU great Terrell Buckley. He will have to give Mississippi State a decision by today or tomorrow.
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1/2 @ 11 a.m. Update
A little more on Terrell Buckley. As you know, he's currently coaching defensive backs at Mississippi State. As we noted a couple days ago, the former FSU great is interested in joining the new staff at Florida State. However, until a new defensive coordinator is in place Willie Taggart is not making position hires on that side of the ball.
Contrary to what have said, Buckley has not left Mississippi State. In fact, there's a decent chance he'll stay with the Bulldogs They are trying to get a firm commitment from him and want it in the next day or two. So the timing may not work out for Buckley to return to FSU unless the new DC is hired quickly and he reaches out to him. I've also been told by a source close to T-Buck that Jimbo Fisher has reached out to him about a position at Texas A&M. However, it sounds like he's not that interested.
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1/1 @ 7:35 p.m. Update
FootballScoop is reporting that Oregon Director of Recruiting David Kelly is coming to FSU with Willie Taggart. He’s expected to assume a similar position in Tallahassee. He likely would replace Bob LaCivita, who is not being retained as the Seminoles' director of personnel.
This move has been expected since Taggart was hired. He attended the Independence Bowl with Taggart.
Kelly, who also worked with Taggart at USF, has coached on the high school, college and professional levels.
1/1 @ 12:45 p.m. Update
Happy New Year!
First, nothing new to report on the search for a defensive coordinator. I still don't believe that Willie Taggart has locked into a prime candidate so he's playing it close to the vest. I will again remind people that while some are anxious for a hire to be made there really isn't a reason to rush the process. We are in the middle of a recruiting "dead period" which runs through Jan. 11. While it's imperative to have a full staff is in place by the start of the open recruiting period (1/12), there isn't much that can be done before then. Also, keep in mind that next week is AFCA Coaches Convention.
Things are definitely getting interesting with Ron Dugans coming to FSU as the wide receivers' coach. Miami is not going down without a fight and offered the former Seminole a nice raise for him to remain on staff. In fact, some Hurricane sources are pretty confident that he's staying at UM. I don't agree. Still think he ends up back at Florida State but this isn't quite a done deal just yet as he's struggling a bit with the choice. But we should know his final decision any day now.
All signs are still positive when it comes to potentially adding Michigan's Greg Frey to the coaching staff to oversee the offensive line. There's a decent chance that we'll find out about the former FSU OL by tomorrow or Wednesday at the latest.
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12/31 @ 11:40 a.m. Update
Things are about to really heat up now that most of the bowls have been played and the annual AFCA Coaches Convention is next week in Charlotte, N.C. That is typically when most assistant positions are locked in, if they haven't been already. There could be a straggler or two, but not many.
This update is going to center around the defensive coordinator position and whether former FSU great Terrell Buckley is expected to be a part of the staff. We've spoken today with a source very close to Buckley, who just finished up the season with Mississippi State in yesterday's impressive bowl win over Louisville.
From what we've been told, Buckley definitely wants to be a part of Willie Taggart's staff and wants to be back at FSU, but timing could be a factor. We've heard from others that Taggart likely won't hire his other defensive assistants until a defensive coordinator is in place, but if that takes too much longer, that could be a problem for Buckley. Our source told us Buckley has meetings with other schools lined up, and there's even a chance he could stay at MSU. So as much as he wants to be back at FSU, he also doesn't want to be left out in the cold by turning down other opportunities.
Because Buckley played and coached in practically every defensive system out there, our source said T-Buck believes he could work with any potential defensive coordinator. So he would have no problem joining the staff without knowing the D.C. In fact, we were told Buckley was hired at both Louisville and Mississippi State before the defensive coordinators were in place at those schools.
As for the D.C. search, we hope to have more info on that soon, especially now that Jim Leonhard's season is over at Wisconsin. Whether he ends up at FSU or elsewhere, that should shake out very soon.
One interesting name for the D.C. job that we haven't talked about much is LSU defensive backs coach Corey Raymond. Although he is an LSU alum, we've heard he would be interested in the D.C. position at FSU ... and from what we hear, he is very tight with T-Buck. So that would be a great fit as well. LSU plays in the Citrus Bowl tomorrow.
That's it for now. But like we said, things should heat up for real very soon.
12/29 @ 2:30 p.m. Update
The three top names making the rounds to fill openings on Florida State's coaching staff are Michigan's Greg Frey (OL coach), Wisconsin's Jim Leonhard (defensive coordinator) and Miami's Ron Dugans (WR coach).
As noted yesterday, things are looking very good for Ron Dugans coming into coach receivers. Not prepared to say it's a done deal just yet but it's pretty darn close from what we hear.
Things are also trending positively with former Seminole Greg Frey returning to Tallahassee to become FSU's new offensive line coach. It's not quite as solid as Dugans but it's safe to say it happening is more likely than not. He's without a doubt Taggart's top target. The only question is whether Michigan can convince him to stay.
If Frey and Dugans both come to FSU as expected, that would pretty much complete the offensive staff. There's still a possibility of a quarterbacks coach/offensive coordinator but it's uncertain whether Taggart will take on one or both of these roles.
What still isn't as certain is defensive coordinator. Pretty confident saying that Leonhard is a legitimate candidate but not sure he's the leader. In fact, I was told there are three top candidates Taggart is looking at and all are coaching in bowls yet to be played.
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12/28 @ 10 a.m. Update
Haven't heard much on the defensive coordinator front since yesterday but will keep plugging away. What I have heard is that discussions are going well with Ron Dugans to return to Florida State as the new wide receivers coach. The 40-year old coached with Taggart at USF in 2014-15. As you probably know, the former Seminole is currently coaching at Miami -- the 'Canes play Wisconsin in the Orange Bowl on Saturday. So it wouldn't be surprising to hear something official on Sunday or Monday.
There has been a lot of talk about Charles Kelly's future the past few days. First, he won't be coaching at Florida State next season. Second, we hear that Jeremy Pruitt has reached out to FSU's defensive coordinator about joining his staff. Don't be surprised if he ends up in Vol country. Story: Is Florida State defensive coordinator Charles Kelly poised for Rocky Top?
To follow up on yesterday's discussion of Deion Sanders potentially joining Taggart's staff. We checked with a source close to Sanders and were told there's "no chance" of that happening. Of course, that doesn't stop some from using this long shot to generate web clicks. I realize the possibility of having "Prime Time" on staff sounds exciting but don't get your hopes up because you will be disappointed. That being said, everyone expects for former FSU and NFL great to be around the program a lot more now that his friend Willie Taggart is the head coach, but that would be the extent of his involvement.
There have been a few requests to give an update on the coaching staff that is in place so here goes:
HC - Willie Taggart
OC - TBA
QB - TBA
TE - Telly Lockette
WR - TBA
RB - Donte Pimpleton
OL - TBA
DL - Odell Haggins
LB - TBA
DB - TBA
DE - TBA
DC - TBA
ST/Def. assistant - Raymond Woodie
* Keep in mind that the new offensive and defensive coordinator will likely also coach a position
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12/27 @ 10:30 a.m. Update
As noted yesterday, Willie Taggart's search for a defensive coordinator has expanded. A prime reason for that is one of his top targets, Notre Dame's Mike Elko, will reportedly be staying in South Bend according to head coach Brian Kelly. We hear Taggart reached out to Elko shortly after learning that Jim Leavitt was staying in Oregon. Interestingly, Elko turned down both FSU and Texas A&M to stay with the Irish. It hasn't been reported, but I suspect that he is going to receive a significant raise to stay at Notre Dame.
There has been a lot of chatter lately about both Michigan's Greg Frey (OL coach) and Wisconsin's Jim Leonhard (defensive coordinator) joining Taggart's staff. From what we hear there is substance to both being "looked at" as potential candidates. However, reports of either being hired or a done deal are extremely premature. That's especially the case at defensive coordinator since our sources tell us Taggart has not zeroed in on any one candidate.
I've been getting a lot of calls and texts about the potential of Deion Sanders coming into to coach defensive backs. The buzz started with Sanders' son reportedly being offered a scholarship by FSU and him making comments like this on social media:
The possibility of having "Prime Time" on staff is certainly intriguing, and would be a boon for recruiting. However, before people get too jacked up let me throw in a dose of reality.
First, I'm doubtful that the NFL Network analyst would give up the spotlight and move to Tallahassee to become a position coach. That's contrary to his personality and current lifestyle. Also, keep in mind that he's never coached full-time in college. Doing a couple camps and some coaching stints at high schools really doesn't compare. Throw in the huge demand on time, including grind of recruiting, and it's hard to picture the football icon massively altering his way of life at age 50.
Finally, I don't think having Sanders on staff would be best for Taggart or the program. Most of the focus of fans and media would suddenly be off of FSU's first year coach and on the football legend. There would be a circus around Sanders and I'm not sure that would be healthy for the team.
Not saying it's impossible, but it seems unlikely. Even if Sanders was willing to take the plunge, Taggart should think long and hard before adding his friend to the coaching staff.
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12/26 @ 10:30 a.m. Update
The most important hire left is of course defensive coordinator. I've been told that Taggart's search has expanded somewhat. He's talking to at least four potential candidates. Last week, he had two main targets so it could be that those fell through and he's expanding the search. What I can tell you is that three of the four candidates are currently preparing for bowl games. So if it's one of these three, we can expect to hear something early next week. The fact that the other isn't in a bowl game tells me he is either out of the running, or would be announced right after FSU's bowl game.
When it comes to offensive line coach, Greg Frey is the only name we've heard. I'm not sure he's the lock that some think he is, but I just haven't heard other solid names yet. As you probably know, Frey was a three-year letterman for Florida State in the mid-90's. He is currently the Tackles and Tight Ends Coach/Run Game Coordinator at Michigan. He coached offensive line before that at Indiana for six seasons. Before that the Clearwater (Fla.) native was at Michigan and West Virginia.
It still sounds like Ron Dugans is the top candidate to take over as FSU's new wide receivers coach. The fact that it become public that Lawrence Dawsey will not be coaching wide receivers next season tells you there's a good chance that Taggart already has somebody penciled in for that position.
1/9 @ 4:45 p.m.
OK, we held off on reporting this when we caught wind of it last week because we had it from a non-FSU source, but we've now heard mention of it from a second source, so we're going to go ahead and put this name out there as a candidate for the WR job: Kentucky wide receivers coach Lamar Thomas.
Although Thomas played at Miami, we're told that he has very strong interest in the job because he wants to get back to the state of Florida. Thomas has spent the past two years at UK after previously working at Louisville. Before that, he worked for Bobby Petrino at Western Kentucky after getting his start at Hampton.
Thomas current makes $300,000 at Kentucky, but he has not yet reached a new contract extension with the Wildcats, and his current deal actually expires in June. So, he's essentially a free agent if he doesn't re-sign with UK. If Willie Taggart were to hire Thomas, it would be a unique conclusion to the Ron Dugans saga, with the FSU grad Dugans staying at Miami and the UM grad Thomas coming here.
As we said earlier, this is coming from two non-FSU sources, but two sources who are close to Thomas. They both essentially said if Thomas gets an offer, he's taking the job. We're also hearing that a couple of candidates could be coming in for interviews Wednesday. We don't yet have those names. When we get more, we'll let you know.
1/9 @ 10:30 a.m.
Wish we had more "nuggets" but solid information has been slow to come by.
As we told people was likely happening last week, Ron Dugans if officially staying at Miami. It really came down to his family being happy in South Florida and his loyalty to Mark Richt.
With Dugans off the board, the question now is who will Willie Taggart target as his wide receiver coach? Some on this board have mentioned Mike Locksley. In checking around with sources, it does appear as though Taggart has at least reached to Alabama's wide receiver coach. That being said, I'm not sure how realistic it is for him to leave the Crimson Tide for the Seminoles. He is listed as the co-offensive coordinator but Brian Daboll really runs the offense. So possibly Taggart can offer the opportunity to have more control over an offense (although that also seems like a stretch because it will be Taggart's offense). In case you are wondering, Locksley's salary is $600K.
Chicago Bears coach Zach Azzanni is another name making the rounds for a possible wide receiver coach. He reportedly met with Taggart recently.
And as was mentioned on this board, also hearing Lance Guidry name for a potential spot on the defensive staff. He's another coach that was reportedly in town recently to meet with Taggart.
Sorry that some of this probably doesn't come as new but wanted to at least confirm that some of what's floating around on these guys is legit.
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1/5 -- 3:55 p.m.
Posted the story confirming Hampton's hiring.
Also, it's looking like two of Taggart's key support staff members at Oregon have officially left the Ducks and will be joining him at FSU.
* Sharrod Everett was Taggart's Director of Football Operations and associate athletics director at Oregon, USF and Western Kentucky. He is expected to assume the same role at FSU. His bio page has been removed from the Oregon site, but he is a Tennessee native and played DB at Campbellsville University. After graduating in 2004, he earned his master's in sports management at Xavier in 2006. He also previously worked with the Big Ten and at Northwestern before being hired by Taggart at Western Kentucky. As director of football operations, he would replace Mark Robinson, who left with Jimbo Fisher to Texas A&M.
* Trae Hackett was Associate Athletic Director of Athletic Student Services at Oregon, and he also worked for Taggart at USF and Western Kentucky. Hackett's bio page also has been removed from the Oregon site, but he played linebacker at Western Kentucky in the mid-1990s. He and Willie Taggart were team captains together. He is originally from Louisville. He received his bachelor's and master's degrees from WKU. It is not clear who's position he would take or if this will be a newly created position.
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1/5 @ Noon
There's a blog report that Alonzo Hampton will be hired as the special teams coach. We are working to confirm if this legitimate. It makes some sense as Hampton was a defensive analyst for Willie Taggart at Oregon. Before that he coached defensive backs at USF.
There is another report out that Irele Oderinde will be hired as the strength and conditioning coach. He was at Oregon last year but was suspended because of reportedly pushing players too hard. There are also reports that three landed in the hospital as a result.
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1/5 @ 10:45 a.m.
Figures, once I pointed out how everything was moving slowly Willie Taggart makes huge back to back hires. In case you missed it:
Taggart snares Spartans' Barnett to lead FSU defense
Former Seminole player Greg Frey hired as new FSU O-line coach
With the offensive line coach and defensive coordinator in place, I expect the rest of the staff to fill out pretty quickly. There's still a chance that Taggart could attend the upcoming Coaching Convention to interview candidates.
Assuming all the reports are correct, FSU has a total of six of its 10 assistant coaches in.
HC - Willie Taggart
OC - TBA
QB - TBA
TE - Telly Lockette
WR - TBA
RB - Donte Pimpleton
OL - Greg Frey
DL - Odell Haggins
LB - Raymond Woodie
DB - Harlon Barnett / (likely another coach as well here)
DE - TBA
DC - Harlon Barnett
ST - TBA
* Keep in mind that the new offensive and defensive coordinator will likely also coach a position
By the way, Terrell Buckley has officially opted to stay at Mississippi State. But we still expect Taggart/Barnett to hire another coach for the defensive backs.
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1/4 @ 5 p.m.
The hiring process for the defensive coordinator and the remaining assistant coaches has been painfully slow and is moving at a snail's pace. So I understand the frustration but will again remind people that the recruiting open period doesn't begin until Jan. 12. If we don't hear something very soon, it could be that Willie Taggart carries this process on through this weekend's American Football Coaches Association Convention in Charlotte. The Convention is a golden opportunity to meet with/interview several candidates behind closed doors. Considering it runs though the 10th, it doesn't give Taggart/FSU much wiggle room to get the entire staff in place.
Haven't heard much movement with the various position coach openings. It appears as though Harlon Barnett is the logical front-runner for the defensive coordinator opening but the way things have gone so far it's far from locked down.
On the defensive coordinator opening, there has been a lot of buzz about Georgia's Mel Tucker. Initially I didn't take it too seriously but checked around and there could be some merit to the chatter. Tucker did reach out to a high ranking FSU official recently to inquire about the position and what salary it might bring. The 45-year old has an impressive resume being a defensive coordinator in the NFL for three different teams, before joining Kirby Smart at Georgia in 2016. His college coaching experience includes stops at Miami, Ohio State, Alabama and LSU.
Tucker currently brings in an annual salary of $900K so FSU would have to pay well over $1 million to even have a shot at pulling him away from Athens. Even then, I'm guessing that UGA would counter and match whatever FSU offers. Seems like a stretch for him to leave and it's possible the interest could just be a negotiating ploy to up his salary, especially in light of recent huge paydays for fellow DCs Dave Aranda and Mike Elko. But it's also possible that he doesn't have the best relationship with Kirby Smart and wants to have complete autonomy over his defense. Nevertheless, my feeling is that Tucker coming to FSU is probably a long shot.
You probably know that Jimbo Fisher was able to lure Mike Elko away from Notre Dame by paying him approximately $2 million a year, effectively doubling his salary with the Irish. He probably should have held out for more. Dave Aranda turned down Fisher to stay at LSU with a salary of $2.5 million annually ($10 million guaranteed for four years). A source in the agent world tells us that Fisher offered Aranda a salary of around $3 million!
Willie Taggart may need to go back to FSU and ask for a larger pool to hire assistants if he hopes to land an elite defensive coordinator. Literally, within the the past couple weeks the salary range for coordinators has nearly doubled. Consider what's happened with the most recent big name hires/extensions with Leavitt, Aranda and Elko. Unless Taggart decides to elevate a position coach to a coordinator position, FSU will likely need to pay well over $1 million to hire a quality DC with experience.
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1/3 @ 5:30 p.m.
A Florida State source tells us that Harlon Barnett is currently on campus and interviewing with Willie Taggart for the defensive coordinator position. As we mentioned this morning, he is currently Michigan State's co-defensive coordinator and is making just under $500K per year. He's been the co-DC for Mark Dantonio the past three years and before that was the Spartans defensive backs coach for eight years. He also played in the NFL for 7 years.
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1/3 @ 2:45 p.m.
It's been brought to my attention that there's a report out there that Dugans may be visiting with Taggart today. He was in town yesterday so it's very possible he's still in Tallahassee. Whether they are meeting again or not doesn't change anything we reported. Maybe he's giving Taggart one more chance to talk to him. That doesn't change that he's told a lot of people he's staying at UM. Coaching searches like recruiting are always fluid and crazy turnarounds happen.
But please respect our rules. We aren't going to feed trolls or get into comparing sources or reports. If you like doing that, keep it off this board. Thanks.
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1/3 @ 11:30 a.m.
From talking to two sources today, it's looking like Ron Dugans will stay at Miami. This is a position coach that Willie Taggart probably had penciled into join him at Florida State considering his ties to the Seminoles and the fact that the two coached together at USF. No matter how you slice it, this is a bit of a blow to Taggart. We were told that Mark Richt just won Dugans over and convinced him that UM was better for his career path.
As was mentioned by many, Taggart did meet with Michigan's Greg Frey yesterday to discuss him coming into coach the offensive line. As we noted last week, this is close to a done deal and could become official shortly. The only concern is if Michigan comes up with an incredible offer (but it has happened before).
Yes, some defensive coordinator news. First, things are still alive for Wisconsin's Jim Leonhard. Things are still going back and forth between the two sides. But again I'll caution people that he's just one of a handful of candidates being considered.
Speaking of candidates, credit to Warchant poster @FEARmySPEAR76 for mentioning Harlon Barnett. We confirmed that Taggart has in fact reached out to the Michigan State co-defensive coordinator. Even though he has strong ties to his school (AA player there), he's only making a salary of $450K so FSU should be able to get him without breaking the bank. By the way, the Spartans finished the 2017 season with the No. 7 ranked total defense. Here is his bio from MSU.
Finally, the window is closing quickly for former FSU great Terrell Buckley. He will have to give Mississippi State a decision by today or tomorrow.
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1/2 @ 11 a.m. Update
A little more on Terrell Buckley. As you know, he's currently coaching defensive backs at Mississippi State. As we noted a couple days ago, the former FSU great is interested in joining the new staff at Florida State. However, until a new defensive coordinator is in place Willie Taggart is not making position hires on that side of the ball.
Contrary to what have said, Buckley has not left Mississippi State. In fact, there's a decent chance he'll stay with the Bulldogs They are trying to get a firm commitment from him and want it in the next day or two. So the timing may not work out for Buckley to return to FSU unless the new DC is hired quickly and he reaches out to him. I've also been told by a source close to T-Buck that Jimbo Fisher has reached out to him about a position at Texas A&M. However, it sounds like he's not that interested.
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1/1 @ 7:35 p.m. Update
FootballScoop is reporting that Oregon Director of Recruiting David Kelly is coming to FSU with Willie Taggart. He’s expected to assume a similar position in Tallahassee. He likely would replace Bob LaCivita, who is not being retained as the Seminoles' director of personnel.
This move has been expected since Taggart was hired. He attended the Independence Bowl with Taggart.
Kelly, who also worked with Taggart at USF, has coached on the high school, college and professional levels.
1/1 @ 12:45 p.m. Update
Happy New Year!
First, nothing new to report on the search for a defensive coordinator. I still don't believe that Willie Taggart has locked into a prime candidate so he's playing it close to the vest. I will again remind people that while some are anxious for a hire to be made there really isn't a reason to rush the process. We are in the middle of a recruiting "dead period" which runs through Jan. 11. While it's imperative to have a full staff is in place by the start of the open recruiting period (1/12), there isn't much that can be done before then. Also, keep in mind that next week is AFCA Coaches Convention.
Things are definitely getting interesting with Ron Dugans coming to FSU as the wide receivers' coach. Miami is not going down without a fight and offered the former Seminole a nice raise for him to remain on staff. In fact, some Hurricane sources are pretty confident that he's staying at UM. I don't agree. Still think he ends up back at Florida State but this isn't quite a done deal just yet as he's struggling a bit with the choice. But we should know his final decision any day now.
All signs are still positive when it comes to potentially adding Michigan's Greg Frey to the coaching staff to oversee the offensive line. There's a decent chance that we'll find out about the former FSU OL by tomorrow or Wednesday at the latest.
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12/31 @ 11:40 a.m. Update
Things are about to really heat up now that most of the bowls have been played and the annual AFCA Coaches Convention is next week in Charlotte, N.C. That is typically when most assistant positions are locked in, if they haven't been already. There could be a straggler or two, but not many.
This update is going to center around the defensive coordinator position and whether former FSU great Terrell Buckley is expected to be a part of the staff. We've spoken today with a source very close to Buckley, who just finished up the season with Mississippi State in yesterday's impressive bowl win over Louisville.
From what we've been told, Buckley definitely wants to be a part of Willie Taggart's staff and wants to be back at FSU, but timing could be a factor. We've heard from others that Taggart likely won't hire his other defensive assistants until a defensive coordinator is in place, but if that takes too much longer, that could be a problem for Buckley. Our source told us Buckley has meetings with other schools lined up, and there's even a chance he could stay at MSU. So as much as he wants to be back at FSU, he also doesn't want to be left out in the cold by turning down other opportunities.
Because Buckley played and coached in practically every defensive system out there, our source said T-Buck believes he could work with any potential defensive coordinator. So he would have no problem joining the staff without knowing the D.C. In fact, we were told Buckley was hired at both Louisville and Mississippi State before the defensive coordinators were in place at those schools.
As for the D.C. search, we hope to have more info on that soon, especially now that Jim Leonhard's season is over at Wisconsin. Whether he ends up at FSU or elsewhere, that should shake out very soon.
One interesting name for the D.C. job that we haven't talked about much is LSU defensive backs coach Corey Raymond. Although he is an LSU alum, we've heard he would be interested in the D.C. position at FSU ... and from what we hear, he is very tight with T-Buck. So that would be a great fit as well. LSU plays in the Citrus Bowl tomorrow.
That's it for now. But like we said, things should heat up for real very soon.
12/29 @ 2:30 p.m. Update
The three top names making the rounds to fill openings on Florida State's coaching staff are Michigan's Greg Frey (OL coach), Wisconsin's Jim Leonhard (defensive coordinator) and Miami's Ron Dugans (WR coach).
As noted yesterday, things are looking very good for Ron Dugans coming into coach receivers. Not prepared to say it's a done deal just yet but it's pretty darn close from what we hear.
Things are also trending positively with former Seminole Greg Frey returning to Tallahassee to become FSU's new offensive line coach. It's not quite as solid as Dugans but it's safe to say it happening is more likely than not. He's without a doubt Taggart's top target. The only question is whether Michigan can convince him to stay.
If Frey and Dugans both come to FSU as expected, that would pretty much complete the offensive staff. There's still a possibility of a quarterbacks coach/offensive coordinator but it's uncertain whether Taggart will take on one or both of these roles.
What still isn't as certain is defensive coordinator. Pretty confident saying that Leonhard is a legitimate candidate but not sure he's the leader. In fact, I was told there are three top candidates Taggart is looking at and all are coaching in bowls yet to be played.
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12/28 @ 10 a.m. Update
Haven't heard much on the defensive coordinator front since yesterday but will keep plugging away. What I have heard is that discussions are going well with Ron Dugans to return to Florida State as the new wide receivers coach. The 40-year old coached with Taggart at USF in 2014-15. As you probably know, the former Seminole is currently coaching at Miami -- the 'Canes play Wisconsin in the Orange Bowl on Saturday. So it wouldn't be surprising to hear something official on Sunday or Monday.
There has been a lot of talk about Charles Kelly's future the past few days. First, he won't be coaching at Florida State next season. Second, we hear that Jeremy Pruitt has reached out to FSU's defensive coordinator about joining his staff. Don't be surprised if he ends up in Vol country. Story: Is Florida State defensive coordinator Charles Kelly poised for Rocky Top?
To follow up on yesterday's discussion of Deion Sanders potentially joining Taggart's staff. We checked with a source close to Sanders and were told there's "no chance" of that happening. Of course, that doesn't stop some from using this long shot to generate web clicks. I realize the possibility of having "Prime Time" on staff sounds exciting but don't get your hopes up because you will be disappointed. That being said, everyone expects for former FSU and NFL great to be around the program a lot more now that his friend Willie Taggart is the head coach, but that would be the extent of his involvement.
There have been a few requests to give an update on the coaching staff that is in place so here goes:
HC - Willie Taggart
OC - TBA
QB - TBA
TE - Telly Lockette
WR - TBA
RB - Donte Pimpleton
OL - TBA
DL - Odell Haggins
LB - TBA
DB - TBA
DE - TBA
DC - TBA
ST/Def. assistant - Raymond Woodie
* Keep in mind that the new offensive and defensive coordinator will likely also coach a position
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12/27 @ 10:30 a.m. Update
As noted yesterday, Willie Taggart's search for a defensive coordinator has expanded. A prime reason for that is one of his top targets, Notre Dame's Mike Elko, will reportedly be staying in South Bend according to head coach Brian Kelly. We hear Taggart reached out to Elko shortly after learning that Jim Leavitt was staying in Oregon. Interestingly, Elko turned down both FSU and Texas A&M to stay with the Irish. It hasn't been reported, but I suspect that he is going to receive a significant raise to stay at Notre Dame.
There has been a lot of chatter lately about both Michigan's Greg Frey (OL coach) and Wisconsin's Jim Leonhard (defensive coordinator) joining Taggart's staff. From what we hear there is substance to both being "looked at" as potential candidates. However, reports of either being hired or a done deal are extremely premature. That's especially the case at defensive coordinator since our sources tell us Taggart has not zeroed in on any one candidate.
I've been getting a lot of calls and texts about the potential of Deion Sanders coming into to coach defensive backs. The buzz started with Sanders' son reportedly being offered a scholarship by FSU and him making comments like this on social media:
The possibility of having "Prime Time" on staff is certainly intriguing, and would be a boon for recruiting. However, before people get too jacked up let me throw in a dose of reality.
First, I'm doubtful that the NFL Network analyst would give up the spotlight and move to Tallahassee to become a position coach. That's contrary to his personality and current lifestyle. Also, keep in mind that he's never coached full-time in college. Doing a couple camps and some coaching stints at high schools really doesn't compare. Throw in the huge demand on time, including grind of recruiting, and it's hard to picture the football icon massively altering his way of life at age 50.
Finally, I don't think having Sanders on staff would be best for Taggart or the program. Most of the focus of fans and media would suddenly be off of FSU's first year coach and on the football legend. There would be a circus around Sanders and I'm not sure that would be healthy for the team.
Not saying it's impossible, but it seems unlikely. Even if Sanders was willing to take the plunge, Taggart should think long and hard before adding his friend to the coaching staff.
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12/26 @ 10:30 a.m. Update
The most important hire left is of course defensive coordinator. I've been told that Taggart's search has expanded somewhat. He's talking to at least four potential candidates. Last week, he had two main targets so it could be that those fell through and he's expanding the search. What I can tell you is that three of the four candidates are currently preparing for bowl games. So if it's one of these three, we can expect to hear something early next week. The fact that the other isn't in a bowl game tells me he is either out of the running, or would be announced right after FSU's bowl game.
When it comes to offensive line coach, Greg Frey is the only name we've heard. I'm not sure he's the lock that some think he is, but I just haven't heard other solid names yet. As you probably know, Frey was a three-year letterman for Florida State in the mid-90's. He is currently the Tackles and Tight Ends Coach/Run Game Coordinator at Michigan. He coached offensive line before that at Indiana for six seasons. Before that the Clearwater (Fla.) native was at Michigan and West Virginia.
It still sounds like Ron Dugans is the top candidate to take over as FSU's new wide receivers coach. The fact that it become public that Lawrence Dawsey will not be coaching wide receivers next season tells you there's a good chance that Taggart already has somebody penciled in for that position.
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