Florida State University Athletics
Coaches Share Their Stories: Offense
8/31/2018 3:37:16 PM | Football
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Some have been with Willie Taggart for years. Others will be sharing a sideline with him for the first time this fall. But every member of Florida State’s coaching staff has a unique story of how they came to know Taggart, how they got to Florida State and what it means to be in Tallahassee.
Here are the offensive coaches, in their own words:
Previous stops with Willie Taggart: None.
Bell: “I did not know Willie Taggart at all. … I got a random text message (from Taggart) after a game, and then another text message in late December, and then we talked that night.
“Then he offered me the job on Monday night at a Hilton at Perimeter Center in Atlanta, and I got in my car and drove.
“I don’t mean this as a slight to Coach Taggart at all — I don’t. I know that guy will score a ton of points and I know that his kids love him and to me, that’s all that I really needed to know. (But) more importantly than that, was (that) it’s Florida State.
“I mean, I do not mean that as a slight to Coach Taggart at all. But I used to run around my front yard pretending to be Charlie Ward. There are six or seven places in the world that, when they ask you to come, you don’t ask questions and you just go. This is one of them.”
Previous stops with Willie Taggart: Western Kentucky (teammates, 1997-98; offensive quality control, 2010-11; receivers, 2012); South Florida (running backs, 2015-16); Oregon (running backs, 2017)
Pimpleton: “It’s been great, man. We played together, so we’ve talked about stuff happening for, like, years, way in advance. Even when he was coaching at Western Kentucky and I was coaching high school. It was kind of like a dream – You never know what’s going to happen or where it’s going to lead you.
“Just to see (Taggart) grow … I know his dream, and to be able to help him achieve his dream has been good. Because he’s not only my boss but, you know, he’s my friend as well. We go back 20-something years. To see him achieve his dream and me be a part of it is big. I’m trying to do everything I can to help him achieve what he wants.”
Previous stops with Willie Taggart: None, but coached at Michigan under Jim Harbaugh, who hired Taggart at Stanford in 2007. Taggart still considers Harbaugh and his father Jack to be close friends and mentors.
(Note: Frey played on the offensive line at Florida State from 1991-95, and was asked about returning to coach at his alma mater.)
Frey: “It’s great. I tell everybody, when you come back – we watched ‘The Bowden Dynasty (documentary) as a group, as a team. And you look and you see those faces and those people and those locker rooms and you’re like, ‘Damn, I used to walk around in there.’
“This (area leading to the practice fields) was a road when I was here. We would be standing right in the middle of Pensacola (Street), I think. So, you see the changes and you see what it became and it really puts into perspective. You know, hey, listen, we’re just borrowing this. We’re going to put our stamp on it. We’re going to put our thing on it, but for us and for me and these players and these coaches, this is our year and our opportunity to add to that Florida State legacy and to what Coach Bowden built here and what Coach Fisher carried on. What hopefully, as we go, we build as well.
“So, coming back is a flood of emotions, when you see it. What’s really cool is I got to bring my family. So now they’re meeting some of these people and they’re putting names with faces and they’re hearing old stories about when we were at the Orange Bowl and ‘Oh that’s the guy you talk about.’ And that’s really cool.”
Previous stops with Willie Taggart: South Florida (director of player personnel, 2016); Oregon (assistant athletic director for football recruiting operations, 2017)
Kelly: “We understand the quality of the opportunity here at Florida State. But we also embrace the expectations. We’re not naïve to what has to transpire. What has to get accomplished. And we’re taking that on with everything we have.
“When (Taggart) and I were at USF together, he used to dream, and then he would talk to me about (how) if we ever got to a scenario like this (at Florida State), we would still apply the same work ethic that we had at a USF, but with increased resources, (and) wonder what could transpire.
“So this opportunity… They say put it out there, what you want. Speak on it. Dream about it, it comes into existence. That’s what’s transpired. Now we’re here and, as we always talk about, we understand we have to ‘Do Something.’ And we will.”
Previous stops with Willie Taggart: South Florida (running backs, 2013-14)
(Note: Lockette previously was a high school football coach in Miami, where he coached future FSU stars Devonta Freeman and Dalvin Cook.)
“It was a blessing that Coach Taggart brought me back to the state of Florida, and being back with him has been a blessing. I’m happy to be back in the state where my ground roots are and be able to move on and be able to recruit and do some good things here. …
“(Taggart) is a young guy with a lot of energy and it just boils over to the coaches. You want to have Coach’s back, because he’s a good guy.”
(Coming tomorrow, FSU’s defensive and special teams assistants share their stories.)