What happened to Willie T the recruiter?

[PacoGator19]

I thought he was supposed to be like the greatest recruiter in the country. That is the whole reason he was even hired correct?

Are FSU fans sure he is even good at that? Not sure he has ever proven himself when it comes to recruiting either.

FSU finished with the 19th ranked recruiting class and whiffed on a bunch of needs and lost 2 recruits to Maryland of all places. He doesn’t look like he has any plan or any idea what he is doing.

 

[sadgator]

 

[96FSU]

It's a straight up train wreck. Hopefully we can get to 6 or 7 wins this year and maybe better players will give us a look.

 

[GatorGray]

It's a straight up train wreck. Hopefully we can get to 6 or 7 wins this year and maybe better players will give us a look.

I hope he gets just enough wins for fsu to keep him another year.

 

[hardliner]

Pretty simple. He has to win 8 games next year to keep his job. A top 5 class would also help.

 

[instaGATOR]

2019 Recruits - OFFENSIVE NOTES (very offensive in some places)

When comparing the Florida D1 schools, the Gators were leaders at all five positions on offense. That doesn’t happen for any school in one specific cycle. As much as that is a huge takeaway from this comparison, FSU/Willie signed one skill player in the 2019 class. No QB, no RB, one WR, and no TE in the class. In the Big 3 +1 (UF-FSU-UM+UCF) they finished last in every category except for offensive line where they were way behind Florida for second.

DEFENSIVE NOTES

The Gators also landed a pretty elite defensive class with Steele, Elam, Hopper, and Bogle all in the Top100 and nine blue chippers on the defensive side alone.

 

[GatorGray]

Pretty simple. He has to win 8 games next year to keep his job. A top 5 class would also help.

I would assume that a decision would be made before signing day.

 

[Jeff from Jax]

FSU finished with the 19th ranked recruiting class and whiffed on a bunch of needs and lost 2 recruits to Maryland of all places. He doesn’t look like he has any plan or any idea what he is doing.

Better than going head to head with Bobby Bowden.

Bowden was sudden death on in-home visits with recruits & their parents.

After playing for Bear Bryant, Bowden was lacking in the ethics department. Back when all you had was NSD, Bowden would flip a recruit & instruct them to keep silent on their decommitment. Leaving SOS & the Gators with a hole they could not fill for a year.

Can not think of any transfers and only one JC player who worked out for UF. So when a recruit went along with Bowden's tactics, UF got screwed.

 

[fsu939913]

I thought he was supposed to be like the greatest recruiter in the country. That is the whole reason he was even hired correct?

Are FSU fans sure he is even good at that? Not sure he has ever proven himself when it comes to recruiting either.

FSU finished with the 19th ranked recruiting class and whiffed on a bunch of needs and lost 2 recruits to Maryland of all places. He doesn’t look like he has any plan or any idea what he is doing.

No he sucks ass at it

 

[fsu939913]

Is Jim Mcelwain available?? I think he would be an upgrade

 

[instaGATOR]

LOL --- Steady numbers, steady...

UF hadn't had a losing season since 1979, then they get 2 in just the last 6 years.
The one sure and steady thing about life,,, is the constant change of it...

 

[PlutoDroid]

He's got a plan.

 

[gatorbuilderorlando]

Is Jim Mcelwain available?? I think he would be an upgrade

Mac can get you into the low 100's...maybe even the 90s! it's so crazy it might just work!!

 

[96FSU]

I hope he gets just enough wins for fsu to keep him another year.

His recruiting has been so bad this may not even be possible. If James Blackman so much as sprains his ankle behind our shit OL then we have no other scholarship QB who is eligible. But he says he has a plan...

 

[fsu939913]

His recruiting has been so bad this may not even be possible. If James Blackman so much as sprains his ankle behind our shit OL then we have no other scholarship QB who is eligible. But he says he has a plan...

Our best o line man just entered his name in the portal LOL

 

[PacoGator19]

Our best o line man just entered his name in the portal LOL

...Dickerson? ...wow, what the hell is going on, this is epic what's happening there. I'm starting to worry that Taggert wont make it past next year, but the schedule is really easy so I'm hoping for at least 7-8 wins

 

[Michi_Gator]

I think I have seen this before. Title winning coach jumps ship on a sinking ship. Next guys buries the progeam further. Hell of a cycle to get out of

 

[96FSU]

Our best o line man just entered his name in the portal LOL

And George Campbell is leaving. He was never healthy but the shit show continues.

 

[Uniformed_ReRe]

FSU's QB recruiting has been a disaster literally since Jameis Winston. Golsen was a disappointment. There have been no less than THREE QBs kicked off the team for either hitting women or various attitude problems.

As others have noted, Jimbo's recruiting fell off a cliff after his divorce. Dalvin Cook made the post-Jameis teams look more respectable than they really were. Once he left, the rot could no longer be hidden.

 

[hardliner]

And George Campbell is leaving. He was never healthy but the shit show continues.

I forgot he was even on the team. Came in as a 5 star and never had a TD in 4 years.

 

[oozie7]

FSU's QB recruiting has been a disaster literally since Jameis Winston. Golsen was a disappointment. There have been no less than THREE QBs kicked off the team for either hitting women or various attitude problems.

As others have noted, Jimbo's recruiting fell off a cliff after his divorce. Dalvin Cook made the post-Jameis teams look more respectable than they really were. Once he left, the rot could no longer be hidden.

Pretty much. Taggart is showing he isn’t very good but I’ve been telling everybody a lot of this stuff started with Jimbo. The program has been downhill since 2013. Even in 2014 I remember reading FSU trailed by double digits in something like 9 of 12 games and that was with a team good enough to win a title.

The oline has sucked for years, he kept coaches like Kelly well past when they shoulda been kept, and chased a bunch of stars in recruiting without looking at fit or even if they could play at all. Look at George Campbell. He took a preseason #3 team to 5-6 before quitting. Or the Johnson kid at QB who got kicked out for hitting the girl at the bar...he couldn’t even start at FAU but Jimbo brought him in at QB. That team wasn’t good with him either his final year. He saw the mess he created and hauled ass.

 

[PacoGator19]

Landon Dickerson to the transfer portal?? Is FSU even a bigger dumpster fire than I thought?

 

[gatorbuilderorlando]

^^
Seriously - it's as bad as one could possibly imagine. This recruiting class of theirs was DB heavy - no skill positions really met on offense and it's a heavy D class. They might regress on offense next year - insanity.

 

[uflgator23]

I thought he was supposed to be like the greatest recruiter in the country. That is the whole reason he was even hired correct?

Are FSU fans sure he is even good at that? Not sure he has ever proven himself when it comes to recruiting either.

FSU finished with the 19th ranked recruiting class and whiffed on a bunch of needs and lost 2 recruits to Maryland of all places. He doesn’t look like he has any plan or any idea what he is doing.

Honest question, I always heard that Taggart was a great recruiter but I never followed him until Florida State. What players or classes gave him this reputation? I agree that alot of the problems are Jimbo's fault but Mullen inherited a roster with many issues too.

 

[PacoGator19]

Honest question, I always heard that Taggart was a great recruiter but I never followed him until Florida State. What players or classes gave him this reputation? I agree that alot of the problems are Jimbo's fault but Mullen inherited a roster with many issues too.

Not sure why or how he got that reputation. He’s never had to really recruit at a Power 5 school before. We already knew he couldn’t coach. It looks like he isn’t the recruiter everybody thought either. And is management/organization skills are terrible.

 

[uflgator23]

Not sure why or how he got that reputation. He’s never had to really recruit at a Power 5 school before. We already knew he couldn’t coach. It looks like he isn’t the recruiter everybody thought either. And is management/organization skills are terrible.

I have read lots about the organization part that dont sound good at all. Has to raise red flags with the administration that he was brought in for recruiting and his offense and neither of those have shown any promise so far. He's already given the offense up and recruiting was pretty bad. Mismanaging a roster is a disaster as we all know.

 

[GatorsFanYeah]

Not sure why or how he got that reputation. He’s never had to really recruit at a Power 5 school before. We already knew he couldn’t coach. It looks like he isn’t the recruiter everybody thought either. And is management/organization skills are terrible.

Because he is young and black. Let’s just call it like we see it. People automatically think a young black coach will kill it in recruiting for that exact reason.

 

[fsu939913]

...Dickerson? ...wow, what the hell is going on, this is epic what's happening there. I'm starting to worry that Taggert wont make it past next year, but the schedule is really easy so I'm hoping for at least 7-8 wins

Hes the worst possible person to be leadi g our program. Absolutely clueless

 

[grommit]

It's a straight up train wreck. Hopefully we can get to 6 or 7 wins this year and maybe better players will give us a look.

Hey we all have to have our streaks come to an end and start them over from scratch. You guys lost your post game bowl streak, and we lost our nearly just as long streak of wins against kentucky. Perhaps with luck, 2019 starts new streaks there.

He's not the only first year head coach of 2018 to have a really forgettable season. Most of them didn't fare too well. UCLA didn't recruit well either with Chip Kelly, and neither did Nebraska with Scott Frost. UCF for all their aspirations had an absolute trash recruiting class too. Taggart isn't the worst of the worst and things can improve.

 

[mcanes]

F$u and Willie are ramping up recruiting with DJ’s, Lethal Simplicity, and paid celebrities such as MC Hammer.

The clowns at the big top are out of control.

Go Canes!

 

[instaGATOR]

F$u and Willie are ramping up recruiting with DJ’s, Lethal Simplicity, and paid celebrities such as MC Hammer.

The clowns at the big top are out of control.

Go Canes!

Oh BTW, what was the final count on the number of recruits that Dan flipped away from the failing scUM? I lost count somewhere around 3-4???

 

[mcanes]

Oh BTW, what was the final count on the number of recruits that Dan flipped away from the failing scUM? I lost count somewhere around 3-4???

Don’t know of any...who were they?

Go Canes!

 

[fsumc]

The national media was as much to blame for the Willie recruiting myth. I remember listening to him being interviewed on XM and as Nuheisal and whoever he used to cohost with were talking about WT coming on they kept talking about him being an all time recruiter. Just on and on about it. I listened to his totally mundane and monotone voice talking in boring platitudes. I said, “meh, he’s tired.” He’s getting this program ready and not really interested in this interview. He finished his transition class pretty well in a ridiculous short amount of time I said to myself, “he’s good, we’ll be fine..” Boy was I wrong. I have zero confidence we make it to a bowl.

These cycles of suck UF and FSU are going through are brutal. Zook and Bowden’s last years. You get Meyer and we suck royally. You lose Meyer we have an upswing with Jimbo for at least one title while you suck. Now we suck hardcore while UF looks like it’s poised to make a strong national run. I’m going to go lay down.

 

[PlutoDroid]

The national media was as much to blame for the Willie recruiting myth. I remember listening to him being interviewed on XM and as Nuheisal and whoever he used to cohost with were talking about WT coming on they kept talking about him being an all time recruiter. Just on and on about it. I listened to his totally mundane and monotone voice talking in boring platitudes. I said, “meh, he’s tired.” He’s getting this program ready and not really interested in this interview. He finished his transition class pretty well in a ridiculous short amount of time I said to myself, “he’s good, we’ll be fine..” Boy was I wrong. I have zero confidence we make it to a bowl.

These cycles of suck UF and FSU are going through are brutal. Zook and Bowden’s last years. You get Meyer and we suck royally. You lose Meyer we have an upswing with Jimbo for at least one title while you suck. Now we suck hardcore while UF looks like it’s poised to make a strong national run. I’m going to go lay down.

The lull is there for a reason, with Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson and the three traditional powers all pulling from the state. Plus scholarship reductions and the rise of transfers it's going to be incredibly difficult for Florida, and FSU to be concurrently great as they were in the 90s. Spurrier and Bowden built these programs with greater depth than what is allowed today.

Programs like Georgia, Ohio State, USC, Texas or Alabama all have the advantages of being clearly the top program in states that have good recruiting grounds to start. In Florida it is really debatable to say who is top dog. Thus the reason we are seeing this jostling of power.

It would help us if Miami or FSU just dropped down into tier 2 in everybody's mind.

 

[Uniformed_ReRe]

The lull is there for a reason, with Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson and the three traditional powers all pulling from the state. Plus scholarship reductions and the rise of transfers it's going to be incredibly difficult for Florida, and FSU to be concurrently great as they were in the 90s. Spurrier and Bowden built these programs with greater depth than what is allowed today.

Programs like Georgia, Ohio State, USC, Texas or Alabama all have the advantages of being clearly the top program in states that have good recruiting grounds to start. In Florida it is really debatable to say who is top dog. Thus the reason we are seeing this jostling of power.

It would help us if Miami or FSU just dropped down into tier 2 in everybody's mind.

I think Miami came close to dropping down a tier. They had been mediocre-to-bad for a decade and a half before finally having a solid season with Richt. FSU fans don’t realize how good they’ve had it by comparison. Even during the “Lost Decade,” FSU fared comparatively better, playing a tougher schedule. And unlike FSU and UF, Miami doesn’t have the built-in cache of being flagship state schools that don’t have a cardinal direction in their names. The have to be consistently good to have a fan base with a pulse.

 

[PacoGator19]

The Miami program is a has been. They haven’t been relevant on the national stage since like 2002 or something like that.

 

[PacoGator19]

Unfortunately Taggart will probably get fired after next season. The program is a complete mess.

 

[grommit]

I'm still holding out hope that it's not too late for Georgia to give Mark Richt a coaching extension....

 

[Jeff from Jax]

Not sure why or how he got that reputation. He’s never had to really recruit at a Power 5 school before. We already knew he couldn’t coach. It looks like he isn’t the recruiter everybody thought either. And his management/organization skills are terrible.

Hoping that THE SOW will give Taggart a long term contract extension soon !

I would even donate a few coins to help fund it !

 

[Jeff from Jax]

From instaGator - "...Oh BTW, what was the final count on the number of recruits that Dan flipped away from the failing scUM? I lost count somewhere around 3-4???

Don’t know of any...who were they?

Go Canes!

O/L Recruits who were committed & then flipped from Miami -
Michael Tarquin
Kingsley Equakun

Don't know if Kaiir Elam qualifies.