Florida State football: 5 replacements for Willie Taggart

Florida State has mercifully decided to end the Willie Taggart era. Here are five coaches who could take on the rebuild in Tallahassee. 

When Jimbo Fisher left Florida State for Texas A&M, many Seminole fans believed Willie Taggart could ultimately provide the school an upgrade at the head coaching position. Instead, he was fired on Sunday before he could even complete his second season on the job. In the end, the Taggart era must be judged as a colossal failure.

In other words, school officials have to get the next hire right. Missing on two head coaching hires in a row could set the program back for the next decade. Athletic Director David Coburn has to get this choice right. Expect Florida State’s administration to focus on the following five candidates.

5. Tony Elliott, Clemson co-offensive coordinator

It might be difficult to convince the fan base to hire a coordinator from an ACC rival, but Clemson’s offense has been electric under Elliott. If the Tigers win another National Championship this season then the Tigers’ offensive coordinator is going to garner a lot of interest around the nation.

Despite his impressive credentials, don’t look for Elliott to emerge as a guy at the top of FSU’s shopping list. Instead, he’ll be the sort of candidate who stays on the back burner just in case the Seminoles swing and miss on a couple of big names. It’s possible the same could be said for Clemson’s defensive coordinator Brent Venables as well.

Elliott is going to get an opportunity to be a head coach soon, but this might be too big of a job for him to jump right into. He’s an intriguing name to keep an eye on, but if Coburn ends up hiring an ACC coordinator it will represent a big risk for his professional career.