Florida State has fired head football coach Willie Taggart one day after the Seminoles were blown out at home by the Miami Hurricanes.
Florida State president John Thrasher said of the firing, “We had no choice,” per Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press, who noted Odell Haggins will take over as the interim head coach in Taggart’s absence.
Florida State went into Saturday’s game against Miami with a 4-4 record on the season, but the team was favored to win by a field goal. Instead, the Seminoles were blown out 27-10, and with the loss likely will miss a bowl game for the third year in a row.
Taggart was hired ahead of the 2018 season after spending one year at Oregon. Since then, he went 9-12, including 6-9 in the ACC.
Per Football Scoop, Florida State is stuck with a big bill to buyout Taggart’s contract, noting the terms for the deal “calls for the university to pay 85 percent of his remaining contract. At $5 million a year with four years remaining after this one, that would equal a $17 million bill for the university.”