Taylor named co-offensive coordinator at Oklahoma State

Photo by Amy Smotherman Burgess

Trooper Taylor

Photo by Amy Smotherman Burgess

Trooper Taylor

Trooper Taylor told the News Sentinel on Wednesday he is leaving Tennessee to take a co-offensive coordinator position at Oklahoma State.

Taylor is expected to remain with the Vols through the Outback Bowl on Jan. 1.

“We think Taylor is a good fit here,” Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy told The Oklahoman. “He’s not a guy who just wants to take the offense over. We don’t want to bring in a guy from the outside and do that. Why change what we do? It’s really that simple.”

Taylor, 37, coached with Gundy one year at Baylor (1996). Taylor has coached at Tennessee the past four years, the first two as running backs coach.

“I think Trooper has the capability of being a coordinator,” Gundy told The Oklahoman. “He wants to be part of Oklahoma State football. He likes what he sees here. He and I have had a prior relationship.”

Taylor had been considering a similar position at Baylor and was waiting to see if he would be named UT’s offensive coordinator to replace David Cutcliffe, who took the head coaching job at Duke last week.

Gundy told The Oklahoman he talked with Taylor on Tuesday. A deal was struck on Wednesday.

“I had a friend in this business who called and said, ‘You know Trooper is out there,’ ” Gundy told the newspaper. “I really hadn’t even thought about it because I wasn’t going to do this until after the bowl.”

Regarded as a strong recruiter, Taylor has been on Phillip Fulmer’s staff at Tennessee since 2004. He also has coached at Tulane and New Mexico, and he played defensive back at Baylor before joining the staff there.

More details online and in Thursday's News Sentinel.

© 2007, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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