After winning just nine times in 21 games, Willie Taggart is out as Florida State's head coach.
Florida State officially announced the firing of Taggart on Sunday, one day after the Seminoles suffered a 27-10 loss in their annual rivalry game against Miami (Florida).
“I think very highly of Coach Taggart and wish him well, but in the interest of the university we had no choice but to make a change,” Florida State president John Thrasher said in a statement. “We will support our student-athletes in every way and do all we can to return to the winning tradition that is Seminole football.”
The Seminoles are just 4-5 this season after going 5-7 last season.
Florida State will owe Taggart a $17 million buyout.
Longtime Florida State assistant Odell Haggins has been named as the Seminoles' interim head coach, but Florida State athletic director David Coburn announced Sunday that the university will "immediately engage in a national search" for its next head coach.
Former Ohio State coach Urban Meyer is likely to be among the names who will come up as potential candidates for the job, but Coburn said in an interview with Wayne McGahee of the Tallahassee Democrat last month that Florida State had no intention of pursuing Meyer as Taggart's successor.
“If Coach were hit by a bus tomorrow, we would not target Coach Meyer, period,” Coburn said. “I say that with all due respect to Coach Meyer, but we would not target Steve Spurrier either.”
