He was named the Alabama 6A Offensive Player of the Year and appeared in the Alabama/Mississippi All-Star Game. Second-year head coach Tyson Helton and the 2020 Hilltoppers will face a wire-to-wire grind, as nine of the team's 11 FBS opponents competed in a bowl game in 2019. He also worked alongside Harbaugh's son Jim,[4] who had been an unpaid certified assistant coach under his father in the final years of his NFL career. [17], Taggart at a press conference at Florida State in 2017. He has thrown for nine touchdown passes with not a single interception. In the previous season he passed for 31 touchdowns and ran for 18 touchdowns as a junior. The message has been loud and clear throughout fall camp: this is … When he arrived, Florida State had the worst Academic Progress Rate in FBS, and was on the brink of an automatic bowl ban, which further complicated his efforts to rebuild the program. He has a QB Rating of 115.2thus far this season. As a redshirt junior in 2019, Pigrome once again appeared in 11 games, making three straight starts in the middle of the season. Sammamish, WA. Senior quarterback Bailey Zappe signed with Western Kentucky University on Dec. 27, 2020 to further his academic career on the field. "[10] Taggart personally visited the ill and hospitalized players to wish them a speedy recovery. Quarterback Tyrrell Pigrome doesn't put up huge numbers, but he certainly avoids the big mistakes. Marshall's Channing Hames (94) brings down Western Kentucky quarterback Ty Storey (4) during an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 26, 2019, in Huntington, W.Va. (Sholten Singer/The Herald-Dispatch via AP) FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. Taggart had most recently previously served as the head coach at Florida State University. An All-American as a senior, he was also the 1998 I-AA Independents’ Offensive Player of the Year. Liberty quarterback Malik Willis, an Auburn transfer, accounted for 301 yards of total offense and three touchdowns in a 30-24 victory over Western Kentucky on Saturday. However, school president John Thrasher and athletic director Dave Coburn voiced confidence in Taggart. Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, and Deshaun Watson are among the many top-tier quarterbacks who can complete passes when they are forced to release the ball in an unorthodox way. was previously with the University of Maryland, video platform powered by CBS Sports Digital. “Thank you western Kentucky … In 2015, led by conference leaders quarterback Quinton Flowers and running back Marlon Mack, the Bulls started the season 1–3 before finishing the regular season with a record of 8–5 and earning bowl eligibility for the first time in five years. Pigrome – a Birmingham, Ala., native – was previously with the University of Maryland, where he accumulated 2,407 total yards of offense in 34 games, seven of those being starts. Pigrome earned the starting quarterback job going into his sophomore season of 2017, but suffered a season-ending injury in the second half of a 51-41 victory at No. Tyrrell Pigrome QB 5-10 210. After high school, Taggart became a star quarterback for the Western Kentucky University (WKU) Hilltoppers from 1995 through 1998, being one of only three WKU players in the previous 50 years to be a four-year starter at the position and one of only four Hilltoppers players to have his jersey retired. He helped lead Clay-Chalkville High School to a pair of state championship games under head coach Jerry Hood, winning the title as a junior. Tyrrell Pigrome QB: Jakairi Moses RB: C.J. Why Western Kentucky can cover. This season, Tyrrell Pigrome has put up 1435 yards and 9 touchdowns. He became the first Maryland quarterback to start a game in four different seasons since Vic Turyn in 1945-48. Western Kentucky quarterback Tyrrell Pigrome was 17-of-33 passing for 180 yards and ran for a 2-yard touchdown. Willie Taggart[2] (born August 27, 1976) is an American football college coach who is the head coach at Florida Atlantic University (FAU). Panthers Looking to Keep Momentum Rolling Two days before Western Kentucky football faced the University of Alabama at Birmingham Saturday, the Hilltoppers head coach Tyson Helton declined to reveal the starting quarterback. — Elliott Pratt (@EPrattBGDN) August 20, 2019. As a senior, Pigrome accounted for 62 total touchdowns, passing for 44 and running for 18. [15], On December 11, 2019, two days after Lane Kiffin resigned from FAU and accepted the head coach position at Ole Miss, FAU announced the hiring of Taggart as the school's next head coach. I want to thank our medical staff and doctors for caring for all of our young men, and I want to apologize to the university, our students, alumni and fans.”, Taggart's hiring at Oregon drew attention to the low number of African American head coaches in major college football (14 out of 128 schools). QB. When Jim Harbaugh was named head coach of the Stanford Cardinal football team following the 2006 season, he hired Taggart as his running backs coach. During the off-season, Taggart made several personnel changes, including replacing the offensive and defensive coordinators. Terry Wilson will start for the University of Kentucky football team. A likely first-round pick, Wilson is the No. The Bulls lost to WKU in the Miami Beach Bowl. BYU quarterback Zach Wilson will enter the NFL draft, he announced Friday. WKU inks quarterback Bailey Zappe for 2021. Western Kentucky redshirt junior quarterback Davis Shanley has entered the transfer portal, he announced via Twitter and WKU confirmed to the Daily News on Monday. Visit ESPN to view the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers team roster for the current season. The Players to Watch for Western Kentucky. 5/17/2020 3:15:00 PM. > Western Kentucky > All Players. Pigrome was the 2015 Gatorade Alabama Player of the Year and two-time Alabama Mr. Football runner-up. Quarterback Zach Wilson finished the night with 224 passing yards going 18 for 32 with three touchdowns and one interception. As a senior, Duncan threw for over 3,000 yards and connected on 26 touchdown passes and was named to the All-Lowcountry second team. Here are the details on his contract", "WKU Names Willie Taggart New Head Football Coach", "Western Kentucky hires Stanford assistant Willie Taggart as coach – USATODAY.com", "WKU Football Accepts Invitation To Little Caesars Pizza Bowl, WillFace Central Michigan", "Report: 3 Oregon football players hospitalized after 'grueling' workouts", "Oregon takes action after football players hospitalized", "Oregon law could be college football's version of the 'Rooney Rule, "Meet Willie Taggart, Florida State's next head coach", "The Mess Jimbo Left: Inside FSU's Fall and Willie Taggart's Plan to Rise Again", "Florida State football finishes last in APR among Power Five schools", "Florida State will end up paying 3 buyouts, totaling over $20 million, to fire Willie Taggart", "FAU turns to Taggart to replace Kiffin as coach", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Willie_Taggart&oldid=999265185, Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football coaches, Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football players, Players of American football from Florida, African-American coaches of American football, African-American players of American football, Short description is different from Wikidata, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Articles with dead external links from December 2019, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 9 January 2021, at 08:44. Find our latest … The change of schemes as well as the development of his first two recruiting classes provided the team with much needed energy and depth of positions. (AP) — Ty Storey had a dramatic effect on Arkansas’ fortunes last year. The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy. 6' 1" 195 lbs. Overall, Pigrome completed 69-of-118 passes for 719 yards and three touchdowns. 23 Texas. In addition, he ranked third on the team with 254 yards rushing and four scores on the ground. The 2002 team was the FCS national champion. Although having a winning record, they were not invited to a bowl game that year. Helton is open to use both. On December 5, 2017, Taggart accepted the head coaching job at Florida State, replacing Jimbo Fisher. Western Kentucky has a standout defensive player in senior end De’Angelo Malone. 10/11 BYU beat Western Kentucky 41-10 in a Halloween matchup at Lavell Edwards Stadium. Displaying shortstop-esque throws throughout the Western Kentucky game, Wilson makes the flick of the wrist look easy and effortless. On December 7, 2016, the University of Oregon announced Taggart as the Ducks' new head coach, replacing the fired Mark Helfrich. Oregon went 7-5 overall and 4-5 in the Pac-12 in 2017 with Taggart at the reins. Steven Duncan will be Western Kentucky’s starting QB against Central Arkansas, but Ty Storey will play. Taggart was recruited to WKU by Jim Harbaugh to play for his father, Jack Harbaugh.[3]. A few end-game notes: Western Kentucky held a 33:04-26:56 edge in time of possession For Western Kentucky’s roster, they have quarterback Tyrrell Pigrome who is a senior with notable experience. He had completed 9-of-12 passes for two touchdowns, while rushing 11 times for 64 yards and one score. In 2014, the QB recorded 2,589 passing yards and 29 touchdowns. Williams had originally announced his intent to transfer on Dec. 18th.. Williams was a 3-star recruit to the 2018 recruiting class, coming out of Belleville, Michigan. In a loss at Purdue, he showed his versatility with 218 pass yards and 13 rushes for 107 yards on the ground with one score. [16] The 5-year contract would pay Taggart $750,000 annually with a $3M buyout if Taggart leaves before December 1, 2022. End of controversy, if there ever was one to be had. [5] In their first year under Taggart, the Hilltoppers broke a 26-game losing streak while finishing the season with a record of 2–10. Jones RB: Noah Whittington RB: Kevaris Thomas QB: Malik Staples RB: Mitchell Tinsley WR: Darius Ocean QB: Craig Burt Jr. WR: Total The skin on his right arm remains pristine. In each of his last two collegiate seasons, he was a finalist for the prestigious Walter Payton Award, which is an honor given annually to the top offensive player in I-AA football. Taggart was a prep standout at Manatee High School in Bradenton, Florida, where he was a first team all-state and all-conference selection as a senior after guiding the Hurricanes to the state 5A Championship game. In 2010, Taggart left his position at Stanford as the running backs coach in order to become the head football coach of his alma-mater, Western Kentucky. [13][14], Following a 4-5 start to the 2019 season, Taggart was fired during mid-season in November 2019. The Ducks beat Nebraska, Arizona and rival Oregon State. BYU 41, Western Kentucky 10. [6] However, Taggart did not coach in this bowl game having already accepted the head coaching position of the South Florida Bulls on December 7, 2012.[7]. As a true freshman for the Terrapins in 2016, Pigrome appeared in 11 games – including a start vs. Minnesota – totaling 322 yards passing and two touchdowns. In those three games – at Indiana, vs. No. On December 7, 2012, Taggart took over as head coach at the University of South Florida in his native Tampa Bay area. For the removal of Taggart, Florida State had to pay over $20M in buyouts, including about $18M to Taggart after the firing and over $4M paid to Oregon at his hiring ($3M to end Taggart's contract with Oregon and additional $1.3M Oregon still owe South Florida for hiring Taggart away). Western Kentucky (5-6) meets Georgia State (5-4) in the 22nd annual bowl game, with both teams featuring quarterbacks who hail from the state of Alabama. Dec 1, 2020 0 Western Kentucky redshirt sophomore quarterback Kevaris Thomas looks downfield to pass Saturday against UAB during the Hilltoppers’ 37-14 loss in Birmingham, Ala. He has held the head coach position at four NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision programs: Western Kentucky (2009 to 2012 seasons); South Florida (2013 to 2016 seasons); Oregon (2017 season); and Florida State (2018 season and part of the 2019 season—through November 3, 2019). BOCA RATON — It was a defensive battle between Florida Atlantic and Western Kentucky, but it was the Owls who prevailed 10-6 Saturday with a new quarterback under center. WKU is expected to return 16 of its 22 offensive and defensive starters, along with two of the Hilltoppers' three specialists. He has six sacks this season along with 65 overall tackles, 11 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and eight quarterback hurries. Football ... QB. On Sunday, Williams announced that he will be transferring to Western Kentucky. After graduating from WKU in 1998, Taggart stayed on at the school as an assistant through 2006, serving as co-offensive coordinator under Jack Harbaugh on the Hilltoppers' 2002 Division I-AA national champions. FR. Additionally, the Ducks lost The Las Vegas Bowl to Boise State on December 16 with Mario Cristobal at the helm after Taggart accepted the position at Florida State. Taggart finished fourth in the balloting in 1997 and seventh as a senior the following year. Against the Buckeyes, Pigrome helped lead an offense that scored 51 points in a 52-51 overtime loss against the eventual Big Ten Conference and Rose Bowl champions, who finished with a 13-1 record. In 2016, the Bulls went 10–2 and won a share of the AAC East division. [9] Multiple sources described the workouts to the Oregonian as "akin to military basic training, with one said to include up to an hour of continuous push-ups and up-downs. Taggart was a prep standout at Manatee High School in Bradenton, Florida, where he was a first team all-state and all-conference selection as a senior after guiding the Hurricanes to the state 5A Championship game. : Duncan prepped at Ashley Ridge High School under coach Kenneth Walker. Western Kentucky Hilltoppers quarterback Davis Shanley (12) runs the ball in the fourth quarter during the NCAA football game between the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers and Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium on August 31. In 2011, Taggart led WKU to a 7–5 season, where the Hilltoppers lost the first 4 games of the season, but then won 7 of their last 8 games. Taggart served in that role for the next two seasons, developing Doak Walker Award winner and Heisman runner-up Toby Gerhart into a star during that time. WKU Football Announces Carlos Locklyn as Running Backs Coach, Stephen Hamby Promoted to Hilltopper Football Offensive Line Coach, Beyond the Hill: Episode 43 - Maurice Crum, Fifth-Year Coach Maurice Crum Promoted to Defensive Coordinator, Phil Steele Names 14 Hilltoppers to 2020 All-Conference USA Teams. Grady Robison 16. [8], In January 2017, three Oregon football players were hospitalized after grueling military-style workouts. We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. Western Kentucky picked up a big addition to their roster on Sunday in Houston Baptist's record-setting quarterback Bailey Zappe. His career numbers are staggering, throwing for 10,004 yards and 78 touchdowns in 37 games at HBU. Western Kentucky: Dayton Wade WR (ques), Xavier Lane WR (ques), Kevaris Thomas QB (out) Georgia State: No injuries to report. [12] In his first season, the Seminoles finished 5-7, their first losing season on the field since 1976, Bobby Bowden's first year. In his first season, Taggart led the Bulls to a 2–10 season. The following season, Taggart's team doubled the number of wins and finished with a 4–8 record. In 2012, Taggart led WKU once again to a bowl-eligible record of 7–5. He helped lead the football team to the state title his junior season and helped the school post a 26–4 record during that two-year span, while recording more than 3,000 yards passing and 975 yards on the ground. The Hilltoppers accepted an invitation to play Central Michigan in the Little Caesars Bowl on December 26, 2012, on ESPN. This was the Bulls first double digit win season in school history. Full Site Menu. The Western Kentucky Roster. They were bested by UCLA, Stanford and Washington. He added … At all four schools, he was the first African-American to be hired as the head coach. The younger Harbaugh also gave Taggart responsibility for recruiting in Taggart's home state of Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, and Riverside County, California. [4][dead link]. In particular, Taggart was stunned at the football team's casual approach to academics. BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Graduate transfer quarterback Tyrrell Pigrome has signed with WKU Football, it was announced Sunday afternoon. He has thrown 0 interceptions. The hiring came several years after Oregon’s passing of House Bill 3118, which requires state-funded schools to interview qualified minority candidates for top coaching and athletic administration positions.[11]. According to a story in Bleacher Report, Florida State had bottomed out in 2018 due in part to cultural problems dating from Fisher's tenure. With the addition of Pigrome, WKU offensive coordinator Bryan Ellis adds more talent, depth and competition to a quarterback room that includes returning Hilltoppers Davis Shanley and Kevaris Thomas, as well as incoming true freshmen Darius Ocean and Grady Robison. Pigrome appeared in 11 games as a redshirt sophomore in 2018, playing the majority of the final three contests and starting the last two. The Hilltoppers capped their 2019 campaign with a 23-20 thriller over Western Michigan in the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl to improve to 9-4, tripling the team's win total from 2018 (3-9) while matching the number of victories from the previous two years combined (9-16). SR. Birmingham, AL. 5' 10" 200 lbs. WKU's six-win improvement from 2018 to 2019 tied for the third-best in FBS, behind only Navy (eight) and Central Michigan (seven). Pigrome – a Birmingham, Ala., native – was previously with the University of Maryland, where he accumulated 2,407 total yards of offense in 34 games, seven of those being starts. “As the head football coach, I hold myself responsible for all of our football-related activities and the safety of our students must come first. The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football statistical leaders are individual statistical leaders of the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football program in various categories, including passing, rushing, receiving, total offense, defensive stats, and kicking.Within those areas, the lists identify single-game, single-season, and career leaders.