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FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

August 29, 2018

Willie Taggart

Tallahassee, Florida

HEAD COACH WILLIE TAGGART: All right. I'll bring the juice today. All right. Game week. It's been a long time. How many months I been here? Enough.

Spent a lot of time looking forward to this. Game week from this point on is all gas and no brakes, and really excited about watching our guys go out and perform Monday night. I know our guys work really hard, and I know they are tired of hitting each other.

We've got a really good opponent coming in at Doak Campbell. We have to bring our A Game. It's a football team that knows how to win and they are very well-coached.

Again, the last two years, they have been in the Championship Game once, so we've got our hands full on Monday night, but we look forward to the challenge.

Q. You've been able to cater your offense and allow your stops to the strength of your quarterback. What from your view of him so far are his strengths as a quarterback?
HEAD COACH WILLIE TAGGART: I think he has a lot of strengths to be honest with you. He can throw the football, throw the ball really well, and he can run.

I think when he came out, he was one of the top three best quarterback and he threw really well. I love his command back there and just how calm he is back there at the quarterback position and a lot of that comes with the experience and being comfortable. But he throws a really good football.

And he can run. He can get you some first downs with his feet.

Q. Since being named the starter, how has Francois handled it and how has the team rallied around him?
HEAD COACH WILLIE TAGGART: He's handled it well. He blow my phone up, wanting to watch some film, or how are we going to attack Virginia Tech, spending time with teammates all the time, flying around. This training camp is the most excitement I've seen from him and just being with his teammates and laughing and joking and that's great to see out there, as well.

Q. Virginia Tech, Bud Foster, very well respected. What does he do that makes him so successful on defense? What challenges will he present with his schemes?
HEAD COACH WILLIE TAGGART: Go back to they are fundamentally and technically sound. I think that's a huge part of playing really good defense, and they are rarely out of position. Those guys are always in position to make plays, and I think he has a good understanding of how he wants to call the game. They move their front defensive line at times, they stem them before the snap, and they will move back the snap (ph) which can cause you problems up front if you are not prepared for it.

I think all those things, on top of him just understanding the game and how he wants to call his game; and I go back, you keep it simple for those guys to play.

Q. On Monday, you'll become just the third coach in 42 years to make his FSU debut. What does that mean to you and what does that say about the consistency of the program?
HEAD COACH WILLIE TAGGART: It means a lot to be able to lead this program and to be able to try to stand on the shoulders of those guys that came before me and did a great job here. Says a lot about this program.

Says those guys before me won a lot. Got to go out and win a lot of ballgames if I want to be a part of those two.

Q. When you first started, you said it's getting into that routine, even finding where the coach's offices were when you first came in. Does it go hand-in-hand for game day, too, knowing where to be when for your first game? Is there any stress that comes along with that?
HEAD COACH WILLIE TAGGART: Yeah, I think this being the first game, there's a lot of stress because there's a lot of unknowns and it's the first time that we are all going to battle together. So there's a lot of unknowns, so you're always stressed and worried and making sure that you're prepared and you don't know necessarily everything to expect from your opponent.

So you've got to be ready to adjust ASAP. For the most part, it's just like any other season, though, once you get going, then it's all go.

Q. You've said since you got the job that it's been a dream job and goal of yours. Do you think the nerves or eagerness will hit at any time this week or Monday and then once you run on the field, it's just another game?
HEAD COACH WILLIE TAGGART: Yeah, they been hitting me, a lot, in a lot of different places. But you're right. I mean, I think once you run out of the tunnel and you get to the sideline, again, it's locked in and to the game plan and going out and try to execute and help our team do the very best to try to win that ballgame.

I know leading up to it, there's going to be a lot of excitement throughout the week. It's going to be that way. There will be a lot of nervousness. It's all part of it, good nervousness, but it will be fun. I'm looking forward to it.

Q. On the depth chart, there's a whole lot of ors, specifically, with the wide receiver position. Is that just because you're happy with all of the guys and you think all the guys can contribute or just what's the reasoning for that?
HEAD COACH WILLIE TAGGART: They all can contribute and they all will contribute. How? A lot of different ways for us.

So that's why they are on there. We figure they all play for us.

Q. Jaiden Woodbey came in and seemed to impress a lot of people during the spring. Now he's projected to start. I guess could you just discuss his eight or nine months on campus, and how he's impressed you guys enough to get a starting job?
HEAD COACH WILLIE TAGGART: Jaiden's been everything that we thought he would be from the time we recruited him and to come here and I remember first time meeting the young man and talking to him, he spoke about how passionate he was about Florida State and how passionate his brother was about Florida State.

He's shown that ever since, again, we met him and every time we talk and he's been on campus; usually when a kid come that far away from home, you get homesick and you have a lot of issues. We haven't had any issues with Jaiden when it comes to that. He's fit in perfectly with our guys, and not just his teammates, but I see him hanging out with other athletes on campus and that's great.

You see a young man that's just really, really excited at being at his dream spot, as well. But he's not just satisfied at being here. He want to come here and he want to contribute and be a big part of what we're doing athletically football-wise. He's doing his part from there. I mean, everything he told us he was going to do, he's doing it.

Q. You obviously grew up a big fan of the program, big fan of the Bobby Bowden era. What's it going to be like to see him on the field Monday night?
HEAD COACH WILLIE TAGGART: For me it's going to be like the spring game, watch him walk out there, get goosebumps every time I see Coach Bowden.

Very happy for him to be back on that field. To start the season off for us as honorary captain, it's going to be great and to have Peter ward back here, some of his former players back and around, I think it will be a great day for him. We'll make sure that we go out and perform for him so he can be happy with the Noles.

Q. Do you project Dontavious and Stanford to be able to play Monday night?
HEAD COACH WILLIE TAGGART: I do. Dontavious practiced with us yesterday, and so I think he'll be well. Stanford, he did some individual stuff with us yesterday. I expect for them both to play.

Q. And do you expect to play multiple running backs, maybe up to -- you have a lot of -- Anthony Grant is obviously a really good player. You have five of them. Do you expect to play -- could you play all five? Is it two or three? How do you envision it going?
HEAD COACH WILLIE TAGGART: We going to play them. How we going to play them, you going to see that Monday night.

Q. Some much the players, we know what's going on with Dontavious and the tailbone and Stanford. Josh Kaindoh we haven't had any details on what's plaguing him. Is that a decision from him and his family or something that you were involved with, too, to not really disclose what Josh is kind of battling?
HEAD COACH WILLIE TAGGART: Josh is going to play for us on Monday. I think it's kind of like any other athlete that's playing. You're going to have some bumps and bruises and some things that go on and try to take care of them and do what's best for them to make sure they are healthy and they can perform for you. We are doing the same thing with Josh.

Q. Josh Jackson, his versatility for Virginia Tech, what's the biggest challenge trying to slow him down?
HEAD COACH WILLIE TAGGART: You have to be able to tackle him. He's a big kid, big athlete at the quarterback position, and they do a good job of using him in the run game. So we've got to make sure we do a good job of game tackling and getting on him, and he throws the ball well for them.

I know Coach Justin done a great job with quarterbacks in the past and find ways to put them in the best position to make plays. You can see him from last year, he was getting better. He's a young kid, played for them year, and you can expect him to be a lot better going into year two for them.

Q. Do you have a relationship with Coach Fuente? Your thoughts on his career and are they still similar to Virginia Tech the way they were at Memphis?
HEAD COACH WILLIE TAGGART: They are. He's been head coach at Memphis and Virginia Tech and he's done a great job at both. He turned the Memphis job around. Turned that program around and they been winning ever since, and then to be able to go to Virginia Tech in the first year to play in the ACC Championship game, it says a lot about who he is as a coach and what he stand for.

He's a winner. When you watch his team play, they are very well-coached and they play hard and they play tough and you've got to come ready to play.

Q. We saw the moment with Marvin Wilson Monday practice in the drill, I think it was the Oklahoma. What have you seen from him as he's gotten healthier and healthier in the fall and is he 100 percent ready to go?
HEAD COACH WILLIE TAGGART: Marvin, that was fun to see. You could tell the young man was so hungry to get back out there. I commend the young man for his effort when it comes to rehabbing. He rehabbed like no other out there.

He rehab as if he was going to prepare for a game, and I think by doing that, it put himself in a position to be able to play here for his first game for us, and it was really good to see him out at practice. You all saw that. He was able to make a play and he just let out a lot of emotion. I think all those emotion was just, man, I'm finally back out here with my teammates and able to contribute.

I've been really impressed with him. Again, he put his head down and just got to work and didn't complain about anything. Just wanted to make sure he's in position to help his teammates out.

Q. With the uniforms for the game on Monday, some coaches may see as letting the players choose uniforms as a distraction. How do you see it? Is it a reward? Just clothing? How do you kind of explain uniforms, something that should be basic but might have more meaning?
HEAD COACH WILLIE TAGGART: I don't know if I should answer that for you because you're leaving -- no, I just playing (Laughter).

I let our Unity Council pick our uniforms. Again, our players should have some say some something. You know, they are excited too, and they want to go out and play well and look good. I let them choose. Now, I have the final say in what we're going to do, but the guys come up with them and we figure we'll do that and every Monday we'll come out with what we're going to wear that week. Again, won't be crazy. We can't be crazy. We only have so many colors we can use.

I think it will be fun. It's not for everyone to like but I think our players will like it and there will be some fans out there that will like it, as well. It will be something different, but again, doesn't matter, as long as we go out and win.

Q. Going back to the wide receivers, Keith Gavin looks like a guy that's the starting guy. What kind of camp has he had, and is he a guy that you are counting on to take a big step?
HEAD COACH WILLIE TAGGART: Absolutely. Keith, he's improved tremendously since we been here. He's been a guy that's been a focus, getting better as a football player. I don't remember him missing not one practice, even going back to spring ball. He was there every single day and going on with every rep in the springtime.

But watching him and how focused he's been in this training camp, that says a lot about where his head is and what he want to get accomplished this year. He's one of the leaders in that room and we expect big things from Keith this year.

Q. A little different of a question. We had a chance to talk to Willy Simmons and he talked about this weekend being unique because you have your own night to shine. Talk about your relationship with him and how neat it is to have your own night this weekend to play.
HEAD COACH WILLIE TAGGART: Willy and I are good friends, and support him, he support me, and hopefully if I get a chance, I can stop by and get to see his first game on Saturday.

But it's a great opportunity for him, and I know he'll do well. Again, Monday night, the only game on TV for us, that's going to be fun. Spotlight does strange things to some people. We got it here in Doak Campbell and we're excited. Can't wait. It's Labor Day. Only game on TV, Monday Night Football. How about that.

Q. I see you've got D.J. Matthews listed as your starting punt returner, one of the ors at wide receiver. I guess he's ready to go, A, and then what does he bring to you on punt returns? What kind of special athlete is he there?
HEAD COACH WILLIE TAGGART: He's a guy that needs the ball in his hand. Again, he can stop on a dime, and people talk about going to zero to 60 real quick, he's one of the guys that can do that. You give him his space and he can make a guy miss and go, and you need guys like that when catching the ball and a guy that you can -- especially when it comes to returning, you want a guy that's reliable; that's going to catch the football and he takes pride in catching that ball back there and you want someone like that back there.

Q. When it comes to the receiver positions in your offense, are they inter changeable, or do guys know certain spots and focus on that?
HEAD COACH WILLIE TAGGART: Guys know certain spots. But they also interchangeable, too, all depends on what we're trying to get accomplished. We want the ball in their hand or who we are trying to attack on the defensive side of the ball. But if we are just going to stay stationary and whatever, then again, guys on one side of the ball and understand what they are doing. But they are all interchange -- because of formation, they all got to know the assignments because everything is by concept and they understand the concept; they understand how to get it executed.

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