10 Candidates To Replace Willie Taggert As Head Coach At Florida State

Tony Thomas  November 4, 2019

On Sunday, Florida State fired head football coach Willie Taggert after a 27-10 loss to in-state rival Miami (FL.). Taggert was 9 games into year 2 of his tenure. The Seminoles have been a team that has been undisciplined and lacked focus. The powers that be inside the FSU program decided it was time to make a change.

Here are 10 candidates, in no particular order, that could become the next head coach of the Seminoles. Some may seem outside the realm of possibility, but the search committee should make the phone call anyway:

1.  Mike Norvell, Memphis: 34-15 in 4 years with the Tigers, a .694 winning percentage. Norvell had led Memphis to 2 bowl appearances and a final AP Poll ranking in 2017 (#25).
2.  Urban Meyer: currently retired, has a 187-32 overall in 17 years at Bowling Green, Utah, Florida, and Ohio State, with an .854 winning percentage. Meyer has won 3 national titles and has a 12-3 bowl record. He has been successful at every coaching stop. He was voted National Coach of the Year in 2004 and was Conference Coach of the Year 3 times in the MAC and the Mountain West.
3.  James Franklin, Penn State: 77-36 in 9 years overall at Vandy and Penn State. Led Vandy to 3 consecutive bowl appearances and had led the Nittany Lions to 4 bowls in 6 years. He was voted the Big 10 Conference Coach of the Year in 2016.
4.  Bob Stoops: 190-48 in 18 years at Oklahoma, a .798 winning percentage.  Stoops is currently retired. Won the BCS National Championship in 2000 and won National Coach of the Year that same year.
5.  Mark Richt: 171-64 overall record in 18 years at Georgia and Miami (FL.), with a .728 winning percentage. Former QB coach and offensive coordinator at FSU under Bobby Bowden. Richt won 2 SEC titles and 6 SEC East Division titles. He did suffer a heart attack earlier this year.
6. Mike Leach, Washington State:  137-87 in 18 years at Texas Tech and Washington State, a .612 winning percentage. Finished ranked in the Top 25 6 different times, finishing in the Top Ten in 2018 (#10). He is 7-7 in bowl games and was voted PAC-12 Coach of the Year in 2018.
7. Gary Patterson, TCU: 171-67 in 20 with the Horned Frogs, a .718 winning percentage. He is 11-6 in bowl games and has ranked in the final AP Poll 12 times, and ranked in the Top Ten five times. Led TCU to an undefeated season (13-0) and a #2 final ranking in 2010 and won the Rose Bowl. Voted Big 12 and National Coach of the Year in 2014.
8.  Kirby Smart, Georgia: 39-11 in 4 years with the Bulldogs, a .780 winning percentage. Led UGA to the SEC title in 2017, and was voted SEC Coach of the Year that year. Ranked in the Top Ten of the final AP Poll in 2017 (#2) and 2018 (#7).
9.  Chris Petersen, Washington: 144-37 overall in 14 years with Boise State and Washington, a .796 winning percentage. Ranked in the final AP Poll nine times and in the Top Ten five times. Won National Coach of the Year in 2006 and 2009.
10.  LONGSHOT…Nick Saban, Alabama: the best in the business. 245-63 overall in 24 years with Toledo, Michigan State, LSU and the Crimson Tide, a .794 winning percentage. But in 13 years with Alabama, his record is 154-21, a .880 winning percentage. He has won 5 national titles. 14-10 in bowl games and won National Coach of the Year 3 times. Saban has won 10 or more games in 11 consecutive seasons.

The coaching carousel has picked up some speed now, and others are sure to fall in the coming weeks. The rumor mill has Clay Helton at USC will be next after the Trojans 56-24 loss to the Oregon Ducks. We shall see.

Thanks for reading.

Material for this article sourced from http://sidelinesandpearls.com http://sports.reference.com http://www.playerswiki.com

Tony Thomas

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