Florida State University Athletics
Practice Report: Taggart Wraps Noles’ Progress As Spring Game Approaches
4/4/2019 4:35:10 PM | Football
WATCH: Willie Taggart breaks down the last full day of spring practice
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – With 14 practice sessions, hundreds of snaps, and maybe countless technique drill repetitions complete, the Florida State football team walked off the Dunlap Practice Fields on Thursday for the last time until August.
The next time the Seminoles gather again for practice, their opener against Boise State will be looming on the horizon.
Between now and then, though, they’ll convene one more time, for Saturday’s Nissan Garnet and Gold Spring Game, to give fans and media a chance to look at the strides they’ve made over the last month.
Perhaps it’s a good sign of things to come that coach Willie Taggart sported an upbeat mood and a broad smile as he put a bow on FSU’s 2019 spring camp.
“Absolutely,” Taggart said, when asked if he was happy with where his team stood.
“Looking forward to our guys now going and doing it in front of other people. You know, that’s the next step – to be able to move it from the practice field, and being able to do it out when coaches aren’t on the field and fans are there.”
In an extended session with reporters, Taggart said he believed that the Seminoles improved “in every area that we needed to,” and also noted the team seems to have built a stronger camaraderie over the past few weeks as well.
Some of that has come as the result of having a full year under Taggart and his staff – a year ago, everything from the team’s playbook to its cultural expectations were brand new.
And some of it, he believes, has come more recently as a result of Florida State’s roster draft, which divided the Seminoles into Garnet and Gold teams prior to Saturday’s game.
Whereas teams are usually split into offense and defense, and by position groups from there, spending the week as the “Garnet” or the “Gold” has allowed the players to unite under new banners – at least for a few days – and make some new, unlikely friends.
“You’re seeing guys hang out and talking to guys they’re normally not hanging with,” Taggart said. “And then with the team switching up now, guys get to be around other guys. … When we’re having dinner, guys that you normally don’t see hanging out are eating dinner with each other. Then the next night, they’re eating with someone else. And they’re around so much more now. So it’s good to see.”
Speaking of dinner, Taggart confirmed that, once again, high stakes are on the line.
Or, rather, steaks are on the line.
Whichever team wins on Saturday will be treated to a steak dinner. The losing team will be treated to Vienna sausages.
“At least, we’ll take it out of the can for them,” Taggart said with a laugh.
With spring wrapping up, Taggart updated some news and notes across the roster:
- Redshirt freshman defensive end Xavier Peters will not play in the Nissan Garnet and Gold Game due to a violation of team rules.
- Redshirt sophomore running back Khalan Laborn (knee) is expected to be a full participant on Saturday. Laborn, who had surgery to repair the injury early last season, is wearing a brace but otherwise has not been limited for the past few weeks.“He had a really bad injury there, and you always worry how he is going to respond to it,” Taggart said. “And the way he has been cutting, it seems like he hasn’t missed a beat.”
- Still no update on quarterback Jordan Travis’ NCAA waiver request for immediate eligibility. Travis, a redshirt freshman transfer from Louisville, is a member of the Garnet team and is expected to play on Saturday, but, unless he receives a waiver, will not be able to play this fall due to the NCAA’s transfer rules. The NCAA typically requires undergraduate transfers to sit out a year at their new school, but, for various reasons, a number of high-profile schools have received exemptions from that rule this spring.“We’re still waiting, for some reason,” Taggart said.
Taggart looking forward to home-and-home with UGA: OK, so it’s not for another eight years. But count Willie Taggart among those looking forward to seeing Florida State and Georgia meet on the football field.
FSU on Tuesday announced that it had agreed to a home-and-home set with the Georgia Bulldogs. UGA will visit Tallahassee to open the 2027 season, and the Seminoles will make a return trip to Athens’ Sanford Stadium in 2028.
The series is FSU’s first home-and-home with a “Power Five” conference opponent since playing Oklahoma in 2010 and 2011, and its first game against Georgia since the 2003 Sugar Bowl. FSU and Georgia last met in the regular season in 1965.
“It’s great,” Taggart said. “I mean, two historic programs, great tradition by both programs. … Look at the proximity between the two teams, you’ll have both fan bases up for it. and you can only imagine what Doak Campbell will be like when Georgia comes here.”
Extra highlights: Neat moment for Ron Dugans – After watching a young receiver make a mistake during 7-on-7 drills, Dugans pulled the receiver aside, told him, “That’s why I’m here here,” then spent the next few moments going over steps and details. A few plays later, the same receiver made a spinning catch in traffic and drew heavy applause from coaches and teammates alike. … Asante Samuel Jr. put a bow on his strong spring with a terrific pass break-up down the right sideline that would have been a one-handed interception had he stayed in bounds. Nevertheless, both Taggart and defensive coordinator Harlon Barnett rushed to congratulate Samuel after the play. … Levonta Taylor sniffed out a trick play from his safety spot, staying with a receiver and making a break on a pass for an interception. … Tamorrion Terry had perhaps the offense’s top highlight with a leaping touchdown catch through double coverage.