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FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

December 21, 2017

Willie Taggart

Tallahassee, Florida

Q. Coach, what has the last two weeks been like for you getting on board, and trying to get these guys in during the early signing period? Just what has the schedule and work been like?
WILLIE TAGGART: It's been go, go, go. When I got the job, first thing I tried to get out and see as many of our current players as I could. Introduce myself to them and get to know them, talk about our vision, our program, and where we wanted to go with it. So, go, go, go. And not necessarily try to establish a recruiting class, but introduce myself to them and make sure it's something they want to be a part of as well.

Q. You've got the guys that Jimbo brought in committed and ready to sign. How do you strike a balance between those two?
WILLIE TAGGART: Well, there's a reason why they submitted here. We want to see those guys, but also share your vision with them to see if that's something they want to continue to be a part of. You never stop recruiting guys until you get them signed, and that's a big part of it.

I wasn't necessarily trying to sign a full class in the early signing period. I didn't think that was going to do us any justice in trying to build our program like we want to build it. But evaluation of guys and make sure guys fit what you're trying to do, and then try to bring in some guys that you know can.

Like a lot of the kids, they want to see who we bring in as a staff. What's good for them and what's good for us, and make sure we bring in the guys that fit what we're trying to do as well.

Q. How difficult was it to go into players' houses not being able to tell them who the next staff was going to be?
WILLIE TAGGART: I wouldn't necessarily say it's difficult. You go in and be honest with them. I told them I'm going to get the very best coaches for Florida State University. It's very important that I get the right fit and get coaches that are not only great coaches but are great mentors to our players.

So I don't think it was necessarily difficult. It was just, again explain to them the vision and what we're trying to do. They understood I just got here. One thing I told them, I'm not going to rush to get a coaching staff here to try to establish a recruiting class midway through. We still have February to go. I'm going to get the right guys in here to help build this football program. There are a lot of coaches that want to be here. It's just about getting the right guys.

Q. You said a couple weeks ago that you were looking forward to being able to recruit for Florida State rather than against Florida State. Just wondering how it is going and meeting guys with Florida State rather than maybe not going to Florida State?
WILLIE TAGGART: Say that again.

Q. When you were at South Florida, you said you would have a hard time recruiting. Is it different now?
WILLIE TAGGART: Oh, yeah, you kind of get to the front of the line now when you walk into the school. There is no more parade waiting for you. You get to the front of the line and that's pretty cool. For me it's going to different because you're not necessarily chasing guys. There are a lot of young men that want to be here, just finding the right fit for Florida State University. It's great that so many young men out there want to be here and find the right fit and the right guys for who we want to be as a football program. The guys do a great job of evaluating.

Q. How much of a challenge is it though with the early signing period because you don't know how many guys are going to be left in these last six to eight weeks?
WILLIE TAGGART: I think the challenge with the early signing day is when you have turnover, and when you have this coaching change like we have here. It's challenging because as a coach, you want to evaluate your current roster. I've been able to do that a little better now watching practice and stuff. So you want to evaluate your current roster to see what your needs are going forward.

For me, personally, only having two weeks, I guess that's a challenge to try to get -- if I wanted to get everybody this early signing period, but for -- we have February. In the past, when you had this transition, you still had the rest of December and you have January to do those things and now you don't have that.

So, again, it's not like we were going to sign a full class anyway. We only have about 16 to 18 guys that we're going to sign anyways. So we've got to make sure we get the right guys and not just fill in the class just to fill it. That's not going to help our football program going forward. We've got to get the right guys.

Q. Was one of the goals trying to get guys to hold off on signing until February so they could get a chance to get to know you, get to know your staff so you would get a little more time with them?
WILLIE TAGGART: Well, I think that was fair to the young people. Fair to us, too. Get our staff in here and evaluate the guys, again, to make sure they're the right fit for what we want to do. I think it's fair to the young people as well that they get to see that and I get to build a relationship with them along with our coaches. Having a month, month and a half to do that would be good and fair to everybody within that.

You have some kids that they're going to come to Florida State University, regardless. They want to be here. You love those kind of guys. But the guys that are on the fence, it's fair to them to get to know me and get to know our staff and see if that's where they want to spend the next four or five years of their life. So it's so important for the young guys. The decision is so important for the young men. It's not fair for me or anyone in there to go make them make that decision right now.

Like I said, it's also fair to us to get everybody in here and be able to evaluate those guys as well.

Q. Did you have a relationship with Jaden before the last two weeks? How did that recruitment come about where you landed such a big prospect so quickly?
WILLIE TAGGART: Again, being at Florida State University there are a lot of guys that this has been their dream school. This is a dream school for Jaden, you know. So when reaching out to him, he was very, very excited that I reached out to him. He was so excited to get down here and see Tallahassee, see the university, and meet some of our people here. Along with his brother, his brother has been a Florida State fan for a long, long time. I mean, even more than Jaden, you know.

So it was kind of like a family affair. Folks that really enjoy Florida State, love Florida State, and wanted to be a part of it. Once we got down here, got around some of our players and see the campus and everything, he just felt at home, and felt this was a place that he wanted to be.

Q. The first guy that you saw, the first recruit when you came here was Amari Gainer. Why was he a priority and how important was it to get him secured?
WILLIE TAGGART: He's a legacy kid. His dad played here, and he's a kid right here in town. So it's kind of obvious you're going to go see that. I could ride a bike over to his house and see him. He's a kid that really loves Florida State and has done a great job trying to establish the recruiting class. The kid is awesome.

Just talking with other recruits, and when you meet him, you see the glow in his eyes when he talks about Florida State University. He gets you fired up as a coach. Like this is the right guy to have. So being a legacy kid, first and foremost, is big time. Then just his passion for our university was huge.

Q. We talked to a lot of the kids and they talk about the coach here on the official visits. Talk about your excitement level of this class with the early signing period, and even the guys that haven't signed, obviously not talking about the name, but talk about the vibe you're getting from these kids?
WILLIE TAGGART: It was great. We had a big recruiting weekend last week, and I thought all those kids really enjoyed themselves. Like you said, there are some guys that haven't signed yet that will sign. We have today and tomorrow in this early signing period, and then you have some guys that are not going to sign a national letter of intent, but they're signing to still be here midway through.

So there are a lot of young men that love Florida State. They wanted an offer from Florida State. Again, it's just about finding the right fit for where we want to go. But I'm excited about the ones that signed already. I think we have some really good football players that we've signed. I know when it's all said and done, we're going to have one heck of a class and some guys that are going to get in the fold.

Q. Kind of big-picture here, what have you thought of the first early signing period, and what did you like and not like?
WILLIE TAGGART: I think when you establish as a staff it's probably a good thing. When you've had kids committed and this is where they want to be, they can get it over with.

I think with all the turnover that goes on around this time, it's not necessarily good for the student-athlete because they're getting recruited by coaches that they built relationships with, and I think we all know during this time is when a lot of the coaching changes happen. So kids are signing and coaches leave and it's not necessarily fair to them throughout that process.

So, again, I think it's good for the university and coaches, but not necessarily for the prospect that's deciding to go to the school because they have a great relationship with the coaches. There are also kids who are going to go to the school regardless if the coach is going to be there or not. So that's a different story. I just think with all the turnover that happens this time of the year, it's not necessarily good for the young people.

Q. You mentioned you'll probably only sign 15 to 18 to this class, what is the rationale behind that?
WILLIE TAGGART: Scholarships. You only have so many. How many scholarships we have. We have a lot of guys coming back unless some guys leave early, that's how many we have to give out, unless you can find a couple more for me. I'll take them, but that's pretty much it.

Q. Wanted to ask what are some things you're doing to get to know the players that are on the team right now? Are you at practice with the roster in the back of your pocket? Are you having one-on-one meetings?
WILLIE TAGGART: Have you been out at practice? Because you've just described what I'm doing. I have a list of numbers and can get their names and being able to watch and evaluate those guys. But also just pulling guys aside and just talking to them, getting it know them, where they're from, their family background, what they're majoring in. All the little things of getting to know them.

But it's been pretty cool because a lot of the guys are coming up to me, getting to know me and talking to me. That's pretty cool. That hadn't really happened when I've taken over other programs so fast. But I think it's unique here now because I get to see these guys practice and that hadn't been the case before. But it's cool. Just sitting in your office and guys come by, "Hey, Coach, are you busy?" "No, never too busy for you guys." But being able to sit down and talk with them, and seeing, again, the glow in their eyes and the excitement of coming to talk to me.

Usually guys are a little intimidated. It's the new guy and you don't know what coach is thinking. But these guys have been great. Just coming and talking and asking questions. As a coach, you want that. I want all our guys to want to come and talk to me I always tell them I can't help if I don't know. And they don't come if they don't feel comfortable with you. So it's cool that they're starting to get comfortable and come up to me and talking. That helps build the relationships that we need.

Q. How are you doing remembering names? I'm sure it's a lot of names in your bank the last two years?
WILLIE TAGGART: Usually I'm good with the last name, or I call them buddy until I find out. But like I tell them all, if they want me to remember their name, they've got to do something.

But it's coming along. I'm getting there. I can get there a little quicker now because, again, I'm watching practice and seeing guys. I know when you see guys make plays, you tend to know those guys' names a little better.

Q. You're a quarterback guy and there's not a quarterback really in this class?
WILLIE TAGGART: I'm a football guy. No, go ahead.

Q. What are some traits that you look for most in a quarterback? What do you look for most?
WILLIE TAGGART: I think first and foremost is leadership. You've got to have a guy that's going to have great leadership. And a guy that does things the right way, you know. I think from a football standpoint you can see the skillsets and see if the kid has it or not, if he can throw the football or not. Decision-making is really important. You want a tough, smart, highly competitive kid, especially at that position. But a guy that can deal with adversity and can make plays under pressure.

I know one thing I like to see in the quarterbacks is the play they make on third downs. When it matters the most, first and second down is pretty easy. But that money down, you want those guys, and guys that don't make a lot of mistakes. That's important. A winner, you got to be a winner.

Q. Back to Amari, how important is it to have a guy in a class that kind of serves as almost a recruiting coordinator? He really gets out there and talks to people. How important is it to have a guy like that?
WILLIE TAGGART: I think it's great. You look around the country and see some of the great recruiting classes, a big part of it is when guys start to recruit each other and they start to build that relationship with each other. We get a lot of credit as coaches, but if you look behind the curtain you'll see that these young men do a great job of recruiting each other and building a relationship within the class. A lot of guys want to play for each other because of the relationship that they do have.

Again, that's kind of how recruiting has changed nowadays. It's great to have someone like that. Especially someone like Amari who is around here all the time. I told Amari, he could take me around, show me how to get places. Asking him questions, you know, rather than me answering questions from him, he's answering questions from me.

It's great. Again, a legacy kid that understands Florida State University and what it's all about. To have his dad, Herb, who again understands what Florida State's all about and you can see that within his child.

Q. We spoke to Jacques Patrick the other day, and he mentioned that you've had conversations with him about his future. He said that he spoke to Royce Freeman. Did you help facilitate that? Do you feel like you're recruiting some of these older players who might be considering their future plans?
WILLIE TAGGART: I think I've been re-recruiting the entire football team. I've been recruiting my tail off. Recruiting newcomers, recruiting our current guys, recruiting coaches. I've just been recruiting, recruiting, recruiting.

I think Jacques did that on his own. I heard about it and asked him about it yesterday, actually. Asked him how did that go with Royce, because I know what kind of guy Royce Freeman is. When he asked me about it, Royce coming back, I told him Royce felt like he was a first-round talent and he wanted to show and prove that he could be a first-round talent. But he also wanted to make sure that he had the program going back in the right direction.

You know, Royce was at Oregon as a freshman when he played in the National Championship game, so he's seen the best. He's seen the bad part of it. He didn't want to leave on that note. So Royce was a different young man. He was a great young man that cared about his teammates, cared about the university, but also cared about being the best that he could be. You know, so sharing that with Jacques, I thought it was great that he reached out to him. I thought it was smart that he reached out to him.

Hopefully Royce will share some things with him that will help him with his choice when it comes down to it.

Q. What are some of your impressions when you watch practice, and see some of the players and talent that are here? Are you excited or encouraged to see some things that you can maybe change or make different? What are your overall impressions?
WILLIE TAGGART: I'm excited about all the things you've said. Some of the guys that are here, some of the changes that are going to be made and where we can go going forward. We have some talented football players here, and we're going to do some things differently. I'm excited about that as well.

But watching and seeing guys run around, it's exciting. I can't wait to really put my stamp on it and get rolling. But more importantly, I can't wait to continue to get to know these guys. That's the most important thing. Once we get to know each other and the talent and things they can do on the football field will take care of itself, but it all starts with relationships. They don't know me; I don't know them as well. I'm excited about having that opportunity to get to know them over the next however many months as we build the program like we want it.

Q. This is the fourth time you've put together a staff. Is this the normal timetable to put together a staff? When would you want a full staff in place?
WILLIE TAGGART: Well, whenever I did it, I never had a timetable of when I wanted to get it together. I just wanted to make sure I get the right guys. I think now doing it the fourth time you live and learn. In my head coaching career, I was probably too fast to hire a staff and didn't necessarily have the right fit for what we were doing. As you get older, you kind of live and learn. I think the fit is more important than the guys and what they know, because they can know a lot and they don't fit and it just messes everything up. So this is a big-time job for me, and I've got to make sure I get the right fit here, and passionate people that want to be here. But also understand the Florida State way of doing things. That's really important to me. Really important to me that I get coaches that can be great mentors for our players. Our players need that more than anything. That's got to be on the top of the list when hiring our coaches is they've got to be great mentors to our players.

Q. We've seen players playing some paintball, getting to wear some different uniform combos, the music at practice has been blaring. Why are those things kind of important for you for the players to have and experience and to lighten things up? Why are those things important for you in this first month?
WILLIE TAGGART: Well, I think this job, I think this game, just life in general is tough as it is. Sometimes we forget to have fun doing what we're doing: I think it's important for our guys to have fun. They put in work and spend a lot of time with each other. Sometimes you get so caught up in winning that you forget to have fun with each other. I want to make sure our guys have fun, but they're also working and competing in everything we do.

You can see these kids, they walk down the road, and they've got head phones on, ear phones on. They like music. It helps them focus. It's like the craziest thing ever, and it's like the world we live in now. Again, the first day -- and I need some juice too. I can't be bored on the first day it was kind of dead, and it was hard to watch. I needed it more than they did. But it was great to see the difference the next practice just how they were flying around and starting to -- well, it seemed like they were having a little fun flying around, but more importantly, it seemed like they were enjoying practice. It's crazy how something that small can make a difference.

Again, it's not necessarily going to make you play better, but if it's going to help you focus and get you to play with some passion and enthusiasm and great effort, then we're going to do whatever we can to make sure our guys give us that.

We need some more country music out there though. There's not enough country music out there. So we need to make sure we have some of that.

Q. When you're coaching on the field, I feel like you have a decent degree of control, but when it comes to recruiting, you're watching these 17, 18-year-old kids pick a school, what's it like for you as a coach to have your fate and the team's fate rest in some of these kids hands depending on what school they pick?
WILLIE TAGGART: As a coach, again, I think if we're going to do right by the prospect, then it's just being open and honest and selling your program and selling your vision to them. Not necessarily trying to force anything on them and force them to make a decision. I don't think that's the right way of doing it. It's just sell your program, sell where you want to go with the program and what you are as a person and how you see them and how you see them being a fit in your program and hope they make a decision off of that. I've never been one to pressure a kid. I don't think that's fair or right to that young person because this next four or five years of their life is the most important four or five years of their life.

I'm a big believer that when these young people turn about 22, 23 years old, they're pretty much who they're going to be the rest of their life. It's so critical that we help them become the men that they want to be, and sometimes you don't get that. They need that more than anything. You see so often that these kids become great football players. You take football away from them, and they're in trouble or something bad happens. They haven't learned anything else. It's our job as coaches to make sure that we help them with that.

Q. I know the players are focused on Southern Miss and this bowl game. With Deondre Francois not being able to play, are you able to talk to him to give him some of your playbook stuff to give him a head start since he's not preparing for that game?
WILLIE TAGGART: No, I haven't. They want it, you know. Like I told them, there is plenty of time to learn that playbook right now. We've got some unfinished business we've got to take care of. With Francois, we've had a chance to talk, talk about our vision, and talk about what I expect of him as a quarterback on the football team. But right now I just want him to be around this football team and be with his teammates and be supportive with his teammates and finish the season. It's really important that these guys go out and finish the season the way they know they're capable of, and give us positive momentum to go into the off-season.

It's going to be a long time since we've played a football game, and we want to make sure we're going out on the right note. So want to make sure those guys are focused more importantly on each other, and being a team and being there for each other. I want him, even though he can't play, but being out there with his teammates, and being around them and being encouraging to all of them.

Q. You mentioned recruiting coaches, I imagine when you take a job at Florida State or Oregon or some of the jobs you've had, there are plenty of people that would love to come join you. How difficult is that, some of them may be friends, former colleagues, to decide who is the right fit?
WILLIE TAGGART: I guess it's not necessarily difficult at a place like this because you have so many talented guys that want to be here. So you know from a coaching standpoint they can coach. It's just finding the right fit for what I see and feel for our football program. Once you get to sit down and talk with them all and you hear their philosophy and their values and what they're all about, you can kind of get a sense whether or not that guy's going to be a good fit for what we want to do here football-wise.

There are plenty of coaches out there that know Xs and Os, but if we're not touching the hearts and minds of our players and getting them to play hard, those Xs and Os aren't going to matter at all. But it's got to be the right fit. If not, it's not going to work. If we're not a tight group as a staff, we can't expect our players to be a tight group. It's got to be that way.

For me, personally, I want an egoless staff. I don't have time for a lot of egos. It's not about the coach. It's about our players. So I want to make sure we get those kind of guys when it comes to putting together a staff. Good people, they've got to be really good people.

Q. I was hoping you could tell us more about Christian and Robert, what you think they might bring to the table and what the last two weeks have been like?
WILLIE TAGGART: Some beef! Some beef! Both of them are winners. Christian just played in the high school championship game. Didn't necessarily go his way. Kind of shared a story with him how I ended my high school career the same way. But he's a winner. A kid with a lot of potential ahead of him. He's a good football player with so much more development to come. I think when it's all said and done, he's going to be a special kid.

With Robert, he's just a big guy with quick feet that can run around. I remember going to his home, and mom had a nice dish on the table for us. I felt like I was back home eating some nice soul food. It was like, wow, just nice.

Then seeing old Christian over there just eating himself. He had a nice sized rabbit over there, just eating it, and going running through it. I was like, yeah, this is my kind of guy right here. His dad was like, "There's a reason why he got quick feet, Coach."

But it was cool to see him, and more importantly it was really nice to see the passion they have for Florida State University, and guys, again, that wanted to be here. As a coach, you want that more than anything because you know those guys are going to give you everything they have to be successful.

Q. I wonder what is the next week like for you? Are you planning to be in Shreveport, on the sideline, in the box, elsewhere?
WILLIE TAGGART: Recruit, recruit, recruit. Coaches and players. Yes, I'll be at the game, and also get my family out here, get them moved here. Want to get that knocked out before we get back on the road and the recruiting process. Try to have our staff completed by then. So there is a lot of work to be done. Enjoy Christmas and say hi to Santa Claus, and probably catch a ride with him somewhere else.

Q. I wanted to ask about Odell and the job he's doing leading the team. What are your impressions of how he's doing? Is he taking a hand's on approach? How are you working with him throughout this transition?
WILLIE TAGGART: I'm letting Odell finish what he started. He's done a great job. Kids went out and played with a lot of excitement and enthusiasm, and we got the results that we needed in the game for the last game we played. Again, you watch practice, and they're responding to him. You can tell they love him and they care about him. He's getting some good experience as well.

For me, I'm just sitting back evaluating everything and trying to stay out of the way as much as I can. If I get someone wanting advice or anything, I'll stick my two cents in, but I try my best just to stay back and evaluate. That is the hardest thing ever because I really do want to get out there and just go. But best thing to do now is just let those guys do their jobs and try to finish it the right way.

Q. Wanted to ask about your taste in music after it give you a little juice too. Who are some of your favorite artists? What was the last album you bought? Who was somebody you saw in concert?
WILLIE TAGGART: You really want to know that?

Q. Of course. I think some recruits might like to know that too, I'm sure.
WILLIE TAGGART: I like Kodak Black, I like Plies, got a relationship with Plies, like Lucci. Those are some of the things that I'll turn on and get me going during the day. I can't tell you what they're saying, but I love the music. I love the beats and how it gets us going. Yeah. Again, something that's going to get me going too.

Q. With the late addition of Woodby last night, what kind of impact, if any, does that have with momentum on the recruiting trail? As a coach, does it give you that boost? Do other guys take notice? Does it make that big of an impact?
WILLIE TAGGART: It makes a big impact just the quality of player that you bring in here, and you see a young man that, again, that's that good as a football player that really wanted to be here. So I think that says a lot about not only him, but our university and young men that want to be here. Again, I think the momentum, guess. To get someone with that caliber of player in our program is always huge to get going.

But, again, for us to get in here as a staff and the relationship that we build is what's going to help us finish this recruiting class off the way we want. Which, when it's all said and done, we're going to have ourselves a pretty darn good recruiting class. But it's going to be the right guys, the guys that we want here and the guys that want to be here.

But, again, it's Florida State University. Again, we're going to be fine. We're going to be fine. It's not how you start. It's how you finish. We're going to finish strong.

Q. You already had some very impressive hires already. I know you're going to hire more. But kind of the vibe of kids whether they signed orchids that you're working on or potentially could work on, give me the vibe in the southeast or Florida or just all over the country of just what the vibe from the recruits are on these guys?
WILLIE TAGGART: They're excited. Every last one of the kids wanted to know who we were going to hire and who we were going to bring in here when we went to their house. We haven't hired many. We've got one hire. But I do know when we go down to South Florida everyone's fired up with the hire that we've had, the players are fired up, the coaches are fired up.

And I think the guys that are coming, the guys are going to be fired up about them because a lot of them have ties here in the State, and the coaches, and a lot of guys grew up in the State of Florida, so they know the neighborhoods and everyone else that's around.

It's exciting. Folks are excited. We're excited now it's just going to be a matter of getting them in here and working our tails off to get it right. But it all comes back to we have to work. We've got a lot of great coaches and great schools in the State. We've got to work our tails off. We've got to work, work, work.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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