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Clemson Football: How will Willie Taggart’s hire impact the Tigers

By Anthony Messenger

TALLAHASSEE, FL - OCTOBER 18: The mascot of the Florida State Seminoles during their game at Doak Campbell Stadium on October 18, 2014 in Tallahassee, Florida. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
TALLAHASSEE, FL - OCTOBER 18: The mascot of the Florida State Seminoles during their game at Doak Campbell Stadium on October 18, 2014 in Tallahassee, Florida. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /
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Conference rival, Florida State recently lost head coach, Jimbo Fisher to the Texas A&M Aggies. The ‘Noles have hired native Floridian, Willie Taggart to right the ship in Tallahassee.

Since Dabo Swinney took over in Death Valley in 2008, Florida State has been Clemson’s stiffest competition in the ACC. From 2008 to 2014, Clemson went 2-5 versus the Seminoles. Jimbo Fisher’s ability to recruit and develop elite talent, made Florida State a force to be reckoned with.

That being said, Clemson has owned Florida State over the past three seasons, going 3-0 during that span of time. Quite honestly, the Seminoles have not been themselves as of late. A mix of injuries and leadership issues have led to the ‘Noles demise.

While Florida State went 26-12 from 2015 through this season, they are 4-7 against ranked opponents during that same stretch.

After struggling to a 6-6 record this season, Fisher and Florida State parted ways, with him taking the head coaching job at Texas A&M. A 10 year, $75 million dollar contract also played a big part in his departure from Tallahassee.

Native son returns

Florida State found a suitable replacement for Fisher in Willie Taggart. Taggart previously served as the head coach at USF and Oregon most recently.

What does this mean for Clemson?

As of right now the only considerable impact Taggart may have on Clemson is on the recruiting trail. He has deep ties to high school programs throughout Sunshine state, which is arguably the most fertile recruiting area in the country. During his short stop at Oregon, Taggart was able to construct a top-10 recruiting class. Not too shabby for a program who won just four games in 2016 and seven games this year.

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Clemson is playing at an elite level at the moment. Florida State will surely play them tough under Taggart, however, I’m not sure they have enough to defeat the Tigers next season. Beating Clemson is more of a psychological hurdle for the ‘Noles than anything. After losing to a team for three straight seasons, it’s more about believing you can win than anything else.

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