FAU hires Willie Taggart, taking Eddie Gran out of the running

With all of the success that Kentucky Football has achieved over the past few seasons it is not surprising that other programs are showing interest in the Wildcat coaching staff. This is a good problem for a football program that is building a sustainable contender in the best football conference in America.

Last week, rumors began to surface that UK offensive coordinator Eddie Gran was a potential candidate for the head coaching job at Florida Atlantic University, a spot that recently became vacant after Lane Kiffin left the program to join the SEC by taking the reigns at Ole Miss.

That notion of Gran leaving Lexington was rather quickly dispelled, as FAU announced the hiring of former Florida State coach Willie Taggart.

The news of hiring Taggart was welcomed by most Kentucky fans considering the excellent job that Eddie Gran has done this season with this offense, especially late in the year.

Sure, Lynn Bowden is an incredibly special talent but you have to give Gran some major credit for the schemes that he has been able to implement. His play calling and a stellar offensive line has lead to the Cats rushing for over 450 yards in each of their last three games. Still having Gran at the offensive helm for the Belk Bowl will obviously improve Kentucky’s chance against a solid Virginia Tech defense.

Gran has taken a lot of criticism from fans over the past few years for his conservative play calling. Which is questionable when you consider the fact that Kentucky is coming off one of the best seasons in program history and was essentially two plays away from winning nine regular season games in 2019. Gran and Mark Stoops clearly have a great working relationship and know what it takes to win ballgames in the SEC.

Whatever Gran is doing, it’s clearly working, and fans should rejoice that he is staying put in Lexington.