How Willie Taggart’s firing at FSU has tested the commitments of some star recruits
When a college football program parts ways with its current head coach, the recruits heading to that school suddenly have a choice to make: stand pat and see who is hired as the next head coach or decommit and look toward other suitors.
Since Florida State fired Willie Taggart less than two years as the Seminoles coach on November 3, three players from the 2020 class re-opened their recruitment, including Deerfield Beach four-star running back Jaylan Knighton, according to 247 Sports.
The dismissal of a head coach also gives the opportunity for other teams to swoop in and flip the recruits’ allegiance.
Largo Pinellas Park running back Lawrence Toafili, a consensus four-star recruit, didn’t give any indication he was flipping with his FSU-themed gloves he wore during a playoff loss at Taggart’s alma mater, Manatee High School, last Friday in Bradenton.
However, Toafili said he’s planning on taking visits before likely signing in February, but does not know where they will be or if he’ll take all five of his official visits.
“I want to make sure I have a backup plan, make sure just in case things go wrong I have something to fall back on,” Toafili said. “So I’m most likely going to be making some visits. And just make sure I re-evaluate, and make sure I make the best decision for me.”
After Taggart’s dismissal, the two teams Toafili said that have reached back out to him and are hot after his talent are the Florida Gators and Michigan Wolverines.
“Basically the same teams that were recruiting me, they kind of reached back out,” Toafili said. “But they were always there just checking in on me, making sure everything was good because I met a lot of good people. They’re just good people in general, other than football.”
FSU currently has 17 commits for the 2020 class that is ranked No. 18 in the country, according to 247 Sports.
Freelance journalist Daniel Paulling contributed to this report.
