Last season was the first time since 2011 that Florida State failed to reach double-digit wins.

It also marked the end of the Jimbo Fisher era, a period that will be looked upon fondly by Seminoles fans. Fisher helped restore a legendary football program that had struggled with adapting to the modern game of football at the turn of this century, leading them to a BCS Championship in 2013.

With Fisher signing a 10-year, $75 million contract to be Texas A&M’s head football coach, FSU brought in Oregon’s Willie Taggart as Fisher’s replacement.

Can Taggart, a Florida native, guide the Seminoles to a rebound season in 2018?

By embracing FSU’s rich history, Taggart believes he can.

“If we’re going to be the football team that I would like us to be, they have to understand the guys who came before them and who built this thing,” Taggart told the Tallahassee Democrat.

“This is their program, and we always want them back. We want them involved.”

Not only did Taggart reach out to the university’s former greats, but he also turned to former head coach Bobby Bowden, the man who turned the Seminoles into a powerhouse.

“He gets it. He’s seen it all. More importantly, he knows what a winning team looks like. He knows how a winning team practices and how they go about carrying their business,” Taggart said of the 88-year-old Bowden.

“If he can shoot me any pointers, I’m welcoming to those things. I want him to come out. I told him I’d get a parking space for him and have the golf cart over there and bring him on out whenever he wants. He doesn’t have to call or anything. He can just show up. This is his program.”

As Taggart gets his bearings in his first year on the job, he’ll face a tough schedule that includes a visit to Miami to play the rival Hurricanes.

How important are rivalry games, like the ones against the ‘Canes and the University of Florida, to Taggart?

“They’re both the same importance to me,” remarked Taggart. “The big three here in the state, and you want to be the best team in the state so you’ve got to beat them all. That’s just the way it is. ‘Noles don’t like losing to either one of them.”

Fortunately for Taggart, he’ll be able to turn to junior QB Deondre Francois, who will be back on the field after suffering a season-ending knee injury in last year’s opener against Alabama.

“I’m feeling pretty good,” Francois informed reporters after a team practice in April.

“Doctor said I’m a bit ahead of schedule from where he expected, so that’s a good thing. But we’re still taking it slow. Doing everything I can do.”

And when exactly should fans expect for Francois to be 100% healthy?

“Come training camp, he should be full go, get out there and compete and be ready to roll,” Taggart revealed about his QB.

Taggart also discussed how important it is for Francois, who has had a number of off-the-field issues during his time in Tallahassee, to gain the trust and respect of his teammates.

“It’s pretty cool to see him come around and start to gain some positive feedback from his teammates,” Taggart told ESPN. “Like I told him, I know you can play football. I don’t need you to impress me. I need you to impress your teammates.”

“That’s what I’m looking for. That’s what we’re looking for daily. I don’t think it’s going to happen overnight. I know this football team wants him to be consistent… They’ve got to see it, and that’s a daily thing, not a sometimes thing.”

A master recruiter himself, Taggart has done his part in making sure that Francois’ teammates are also supporting him on the field, as exemplified by FSU landing 247Sports’ 11^th-ranked recruiting class for 2018.

What exactly makes Taggart such an effective recruiter?

“I like it. Not every head coach likes recruiting,” Taggart divulged. “I think that’s a big part of it. You have to love what you’re doing. I love recruiting, love building relationships and meeting new people and love changing the lives of these young people. You’ve got to love it. You hear a lot of people, they don’t like it. But I do.”

“I think I have the best job in America. Every year, you get to meet new family and friends. Every year, for the most part, you have a limit to where you can change at least 25 young men’s lives. Not only the young men, but their family, by giving them a scholarship. And you get to be around the great game of football. How many people can say that in their profession, what they’re doing, that they’re changing lives and meeting new friends every single year? I think it’s pretty cool.”

If Taggart’s optimism rubs off on the rest of his coaching staff and players like it did at his previous stops, then Florida State might be in line for a rejuvenating season in 2018.