3-Star QB Willie Taggart Jr. Submits FAU Letter of Intent to Play for Father

Quarterback Willie Taggart Jr. signed his letter of intent Wednesday to play college football at Florida Atlantic for his father, new Owls head coach Willie Taggart.

Taggart is a 3-star prospect who also received offers from Appalachian State and Florida State, per 247Sports.

In December, his dad told Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports that making his son an offer early in his high school career while he was head coach at FSU was a mistake because other major programs didn't make the effort to recruit him.

"We moved him all over the place," the elder Taggart said. "He had three high schools in four years. Senior year [at Florida State University School], he finally got the nod and took his school to state for the first time in school history. He had a heck of a year."

Taggart is a dual-threat quarterback who helped lead the high school Noles to the Florida Class 3A championship game as a senior, his first year as a full-time starter.

He completed 59.2 percent of his throws for 2,165 yards with 20 touchdowns and 10 interceptions across 14 games. He added 876 rushing yards and 10 scores on the ground.

Taggart likely isn't a candidate for immediate playing time at FAU. The Owls feature Chris Robison atop the QB depth chart after his breakout sophomore campaign in 2019 in which he threw 28 touchdowns and six picks in 14 games.

A redshirt may be an option with four other quarterbacks—including last year's backup, Nick Tronti—already on the roster to fight for the top reserve role.

Taggart does feature ample potential, but he's still a raw talent with a limited amount of snaps under his belt. An extra year of development can't hurt while waiting for the Owls' depth chart to thin out.