FAU fires Willie Taggart after 3 seasons: Why the Owls moved on now -

Florida Atlantic University fired head coach Willie Taggart after three seasons, the school announced on Saturday. Here’s what you need to know:

The school announced the firing after FAU lost 32-31 in overtime to Western Kentucky.
In three seasons, Taggart went 15-18 with the Owls.
For the second consecutive year, FAU finished its season with a 5-7 record.

Backstory

Prior to FAU, Taggart had head coaching stops at Western Kentucky (2010 to 2012), South Florida (2013 to 2016), Oregon (2017) and Florida State (2018 to 2019).

At Oregon he replaced the fired Mark Helfrich, at Florida State he replaced the departing Jimbo Fisher and at FAU he was hired two days after Lane Kiffin resigned.

Taggart’s overall coaching record is 71-80. He’s appeared in two bowl games as a coach: the 2015 Miami Beach Bowl with South Florida and the 2020 Montgomery Bowl with FAU. In both games, Taggart’s teams lost.

Why the Owls made this decision

FAU has higher standards now, which is why Taggart didn’t get any more time. Kiffin won 11 games with conference championships twice in 2017 and 2019. This is a program that knows it can win big, and it has to position itself stronger moving into the AAC. Three of the six C-USA schools moving to the AAC will have a new coach. — Vannini

What they’re saying

FAU vice president and director of athletics Brian White released a statement:

“This evening, we made a change in leadership with the Florida Atlantic University football program. It was a difficult decision, as we have tremendous respect for Willie Taggart. He has represented FAU with class and character. However, the lack of on-field success needed to be addressed as we look toward the future.”

(Photo: Aaron Gilbert / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

ncG1vNJzZmismJqutbTLnquim16YvK57knJqcmpga3xzfJFrZmppX2eDcLLArmSfoaKawG6vzpqaoWWnnrmttcRmq5qfl5a%2FtXs%3D