96 days remain until the Florida State football team runs out onto the field for the Labor Day match-up against Virginia Tech. As part of the offseason wait, we’re doing a countdown that highlights players, games, and specific moments from FSU football history. On Tuesday, it was the 97-yard game-winning touchdown drive in the 1988 Fiesta Bowl.
Today, it’s the 96 hours between Jimbo Fisher’s departure and Willie Taggart’s hiring.
Admittedly, we’re taking some liberties with the exact number of hours between the two events. But news of Fisher’s decision broke mid-day on Dec. 1, while the Taggart update came around the same time on Dec. 5.
By the time late November rolled around, the sentiment was that head coach Jimbo Fisher had one foot out the door. The Seminoles were 5-6 overall and rumblings inside the program indicated that Fisher was seriously considering taking the Texas A&M job. The strained relationship between Fisher and the administration guaranteed that even if he turned down the offer from the Aggies, his time at Florida State would be filled with even more scrutiny. The news on Dec. 1 was shocking yet unsurprising.
Florida State’s athletic department handled the situation perfectly. Even though it was the school’s first coaching search in over 40 years, athletic director Stan Wilcox and his group were prepared. They had already assembled a list of names interested in the position. Willie Taggart’s roots in Florida meant he was at the top.
It became a “known secret” that Taggart was Florida State’s No. 1 choice for the job. The two sides met on Monday, Dec. 4 to hammer out contract details. The negotiations extended into Tuesday and were finalized in the afternoon. In just 96 hours, Florida State had conducted a head coaching search and hired one of its top choices.
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