Florida State football 2019 spring preview: Taggart, Hornibrook look to turn ‘Noles around

2018 was another disaster for Florida State and new head coach Willie Taggart. How will the Seminoles move past two bad seasons this spring and get back on the winning track?

Florida State fans would like to forget about this past season, which measured as one of the worst in a long and storied history. Moving onto 2019, second-year head coach Willie Taggart will be looking to shut the past away. With a brand new signal caller in town, the Seminoles have a good chance at doing just that.

• 2018 record: 5-7 (3-5 ACC)
• Spring game date: April 6, 4 p.m. EDT

Historically bad season capped off with the dismissal of QB Deondre Francois

Florida State finished under 0.500 for the first time since 1976. The Seminoles struggled to get anything going offensively, averaging just 21.9 points per game (112th). They only had one 100 yard rusher all year in a win against Boston College (against Clemson, their leading rusher amassed just 17 yards). Since joining the ACC in 1992, the Seminoles have never missed a bowl berth or finish with less than seven wins (note: the NCAA vacated 12 wins from the 2006 and 2007 season, where FSU finished 7-6 each season). Florida State will be only looking forward and putting a mess of a season firmly behind them.

As a freshman, quarterback Deondre Francois led the Seminoles to a 10-3 record, a No. 8 final ranking in the AP Poll, and a win in the Orange Bowl. Coming off a devastating knee injury in 2017, Francois had a lackluster season, finishing with 15 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. The concern for a quarterback deepened when Taggart failed to sign a quarterback this past offseason in a recruiting class that ranks second in the ACC.

Transfer, light schedule could give a much-needed boost

Alex Hornibrook was in line to secure the starting quarterback position at Wisconsin again in 2019 after missing the end of the season due to injury. In a shocking move, the graduate transfer announced his intentions to play for Florida State this season and is immediately eligible. In his years at Wisconsin, Hornibrook threw for over 5,400 yards and posted a 138.1 passer rating. The pro-style quarterback will give Taggart the first strong passer since Jameis Winston.

In 2018, Florida State was punished with playing eight games against ranked opponents, three of which came out of conference (No. 20 Virginia Tech, No. 3 Notre Dame, No. 11 Florida). The Seminoles posted a 1-7 record in those games, losing by an average of 21 points per game. In 2019, though, the load has been lightened. Virginia Tech and Notre Dame have been replaced with Boise State, Louisiana-Monroe, and Alabama State, and Florida State handles NC State, Syracuse, and Miami at home.

Is Taggart the right man for the job?

Willie Taggart is coming into the crucial second year at Florida State, which has proved to be a pivotal season for coaches. The first season’s failures could be blamed on many factors – Deondre Francois coming off an injury, new-coach growing pains, or unreal expectations. However, many of those distractions are history, and the Seminoles should be on their way to winning soon. If the losing continues in 2019, the blame might just be placed on Taggart and his job could be in jeopardy.

Top QB joins Seminoles

There is no question that Alex Hornibrook is the biggest addition to the team this offseason. The Seminoles went from dazed and quarterback-less after dismissing Francois to having one of the most consistent passers in the nation. However, the meshing with new offensive coordinator Kendal Briles will prove pivotal to Hornibrook’s success.

Briles comes from Houston, who ranked 13th in the country in yards per play in 2018 (6.77) and previously Florida Atlantic, who averaged 6.7 yards per play (10th). Briles gets the ball downfield efficiently and quickly in stark contrast to Hornibrook’s style. In 2017, the Badgers ranked just 31st in yards per play and saw Hornibrook’s most effective year (148.6 passer rating). In 2018, Wisconsin ranked 14th in average yards per play and saw a significant decline in production by their quarterback, who threw just 13 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in nine games.

If Hornibrook can flourish in the new offensive system, then he has a chance to post some career numbers.

Best game to look forward to: Seminoles at Gators on Nov. 30

Per tradition, Florida State closes their regular season with a showdown against their in-state rival Florida. Since 2010, the Seminoles have owned the series, winning seven of the last nine matchups. However, the Gators are expected to have a great season and find themselves in or near the top ten nationally. After an embarrassing 41-14 drubbing to close out 2018, the Seminoles will be looking for revenge in this game.