Trooper Taylor has mellowed — sort of.
There will still be towel waving and chest bumping on the sidelines Saturday when Tennessee (2-2, 0-1 SEC) hosts a former fan favorite and his Auburn mates (TV: 7:45 p.m. ESPN), but the 39-year-old Taylor claims his long-term goals have changed a bit.
No longer is the former UT assistant so determined to climb the career ladder in record pace. Now coaching receivers at Auburn (4-0, 1-0), Taylor sees the importance of finding a more permanent home after coaching for three schools in three seasons: UT in 2007, Oklahoma State in 2008 and Auburn this season.
“They’ve changed a little bit,” Taylor said of his priorities. “Now I’m at the point to where I want to make sure I’m not moving my kids around in high school so I want to be established at a place for the next four or five years where they can set their roots.”
Taylor’s wife, Evi, and their children — son, Blaise, and daughter, Starr — have followed their father to six schools during his 18-year career. The moves have been made by choice.
Taylor has continually proved himself as a position coach and a recruiter. But when a promotion or title was offered, he was often lured elsewhere.
Taylor’s oldest child, Blaise, will begin high school next year. Does that mean Taylor is ready to set up permanent roots?
“They understand how football is,” Taylor said of his family. “Something could happen that they’d have to move, but it would have to be a pretty good job for me to change in the middle of their high school careers.”
Taylor can continue to climb that coaching ladder without ever leaving Auburn. As the Tigers’ only assistant head coach, Taylor appreciates the input he’s been given by first-year Auburn head coach Gene Chizik.
Taylor said he’s involved in everything from discipline to game preparation to working with alumni clubs and boosters.
“It allows me to learn from the inside rather than from the outside,” Taylor said. “Those things are big for me. And I think that just puts me closer to becoming a head coach, and that is my ultimate goal.”
Taylor is also able to learn from a coach who many believe is one of the brightest offensive minds in college football: Auburn offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn. The Arkansas castoff built explosive offenses at Tulsa while Taylor was coaching at Oklahoma State last season.
“I was trying to steal his plays off the TV because I couldn’t get film,” Taylor said with a chuckle. “I was trying to figure out what they were doing. We were doing good but they were really putting some points up on the board.”
When Taylor interviewed with Malzahn and Chizik in December, he didn’t hide his respect for his future boss.
“I was honest with him,” Taylor recalled. “I said ‘I’ve been trying to steal your plays and figure out what the heck you’re doing — to be putting up so many points with guys with less talent.’”
With Malzahn, Taylor said the learning never stops.
“You’re not going to sit down and eat lunch or dinner without him taking the ketchup bottle or the mayonnaise or the salt and pepper and doing a formation with it,” Taylor said. “If you’re going to eat dinner, you better get it to go. If you’re sitting at the table, he’s going to talk football.
“I like that about him because he’s very demanding and he’s very meticulous in what he does.”
After leaving an Oklahoma State team full of talented skill-position players, Taylor is learning how to coach those who recruiting analysts deemed less impressive.
“I’m pretty impressed with my guys,” Taylor said. “They really have bought in. They’ve made plays when they had their opportunities. And they’ve gotten better each week.
“There’s no big-name guys in this group. There’s no five-stars or any of that, but they go out there and do the blue-collar work and that’s what I appreciate about them.”
As one of the top recruiters in the nation, it’s largely up to Taylor to upgrade Auburn’s talent level. Taylor certainly did so for Tennessee.
Many of the players Taylor recruited are still on UT’s roster.
Taylor downplayed any assistance he might be able to offer his fellow Auburn coaches on UT’s personnel. But the discussion among Auburn’s coaches has clearly taken place.
“You wonder if you have a chance to win at all by the time I finished talking,” Taylor joked.
Taylor, likely sporting some gamesmanship, lauded UT’s talent during a phone interview on Monday.
“It gives me a heart attack because I do know them,” Taylor said. “It makes us nervous because I know these guys. They’ve got a lot of talent. It’s pretty scary to be honest.”
Taylor said UT’s defense is the toughest the Tigers have faced this year. Statistically, he’s right. The Vols rank eighth nationally in total defense.
That’s his focus, Taylor maintained, not besting his old students.
“(It’s) not as much about taking on the Vols as it is seeing the friends and the people we built relationships with over time,” Taylor said. “I know my kids are excited about coming back.”
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Comments » 31
bippy58 writes:
if trooper had been hired as oc there would have not been a coaching change at the end of last year. who knows what kind of shape we would have been in but it sure would have not been any worse than we are at the moment. we will be lucky to win one of the next four. the player will have to decide how that goes not the coaches.
HallowedHill writes:
Good for you Trooper - I wish you the best!
chrisw2967 writes:
I wish Kiffin had went adter Troop instead of Garner.He would be walking the sidelines again in Knoxville.
andy112382#209793 writes:
I love Trooper and he is an ace recruiter and knows how to coach, but I think it is a stretch to say Fulmer would still be here if Trooper had been the OC, there is no evidence he knew how to scheme the entire offense and call plays at that point in his career, he would probably be an OC if that was the case.
Anywho, the problems ran much deeper than just offensive schemes as we can see with the drastic jump in recruiting and the lack of depth left behind, I find myself wondering what the heck the other coaches were doing that these guys are making look so easy.
arlvol writes:
Most of the former coaches were doing nothing in terms of recruiting. i can say this for a fact. CFP was the hardest working coach (previous staff) on the recruiting trail followed by the WR and RB coach. Everyone else was a waste of oxygen.
volsgirl writes:
Love to wacht Trooper walk the side line at UT....good luck Trooper...
doubledown writes:
I like Trooper. I'm not sure I liked Trooper as a Coach, certainly not one that could have been our Offensive Coordinator last year. I agree with several above, I don't think moving him to OC last year would have been a wise move, so Troop decided to move to Okla State over it for one season as co-offensive coordinator, but see see he's already back as a WR coach, probably where he should be and stay a few years..
Cldvols1 writes:
You a closet gayder bippy? We're 2-2 right now and some of these boys are still getting a feel of the game. The losses we have are 4 to UCLA and 10 to 30 point favored Florida. That's 2 TD's in 2 losses. We're gonna start clicking and finish this season 7-5 or 8-4, mark it down! Taylor's doin good here in Auburn and I miss him at UT but I think the coaching change was a long time coming. Go Vols!!!
pammyvol1000 writes:
Trooper was good and the kids liked him!!
AllVol1 writes:
Learning from the past is one thing. Bemoaning it is a complete waste of time. Trooper is a great coach and recruiter. He'll be great at Auburn and would have been great here. We have a staff chock full of great recruiters and coaches. In two to three years, we should be dominant again. This is a transition year. Next year will be less so, but still a transitional year.
As for this upcoming game, it is huge. We are competing with Auburn for several ace recruits. With their momentum, Auburn is building a strong case for being the real program on the rise instead of UT. If we could shut them down and put up some points, I think we would see a few big recruits become big commits. This game bears tremendous import for our long-term rebuilding effort. If we play like we did against Ohio, it could be as ugly as the UT Auburn game last year. We are banged up, but I think we can take it to the tigers. Go Vols.
SmokeyHound writes:
VOTE FOR ERIC BERRY! HES LOSING – VOTE EVERYDAY IF YOU’RE A TRUE VOL FAN! OUR FANS ARE TERRIBLE FOR NOT EVER VOTING FOR ANYTHING. GET FIRED UP AND GET RECRUITS COMING HERE! Vote for him and spread the word!!! Email this to as much vol fans as possible! I already did!!!
http://promo.espn.go.com/espn/contest...
IF YOU COME TO TENNESSEE YOULL GET IMMEDIATE PLAYING TIME. LOOK AT BRYCE BROWN, MARSELUS TEAGUE, MAIN STARTERS. DAVID OKU, NUKEESE RICKARDSON, AND JANSEN JACKSON ARE ALSO VERY IMPORTANT. Go vols and lets kill each sec team one at a time!!!
notoriousBIGorange writes:
WRONG!
Vince Lombardi AND Bill Walsh combined couldn't have made Crompton a better QB last year or this year.
Players make or break coaches, Urban Meyer is about to learn that lesson when he has to play at LSU without Tebow.
halloffamebowler writes:
The voise of a real stupid arse.
chad_t31 writes:
Nice job kns, you've made it to where no one wants to read these comments anymore. Yeah I know I can hide them but there are some people's I actually enjoyed reading. Any chance we can block certain users rather than "suggest removal" in the near future? The trolls and the negative bs is getting old.
OhioVol3 writes:
I think Auburn is the most important game of the year. A win and I think we go 2-2 in October with a bowl game at the end of the yr. A loss and I think the wheels really fall off...0-4 in October and no bowl.
vol_chaz writes:
Naffy hi-jacks yet another thread.. gotta love him.
bippy58 writes:
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
bippy58 writes:
your right i am an idiot. i should have read what you have to say before making any comments. i'll try better next time but at least i giving you something to do.
wayoutwill writes:
Look,you guys are all fighting amongst yourselves,you all say that you are Vol fans,the one thing this board does is show the truth for what it is,we are split apart,now,why are we split apart,Is it because we are all frustrated with this Coach?I think so.Why are we frustrated with this Coach?Is it because he came inhere talking big and being cocky,smack-talking about singing Rocky Top all nite as he practcally guranteed a winning season plus a win over the Gators?I think we all know that this team is way too talented for the performance we've been shown.Losing to UCLA,Is that really where we are at?NO!What's the problem?The Q.B.,Eric Crompton!What's being done about it?Absolutely nothing!I agree with the guy wanting to bet thousands of dollars on the Vols not winning this year and I blame "kiff" for it!I couldn't stand Fulmer and I'm glad he's gone.Kiff deserves a some time to show he can or cannot win before we fire him,but he's off to a terible start and the locker room will soon be as divided as we are if they are not already.Here is a fact:You can't let one person (Crompton) perform so poorly and not replace him without the rest of the team resenting it!Resentful players will not perform for their Coach and we saw the start of that during the Ohio game."Kiff" better get it going or he will be going!
VolAlum2003 (Inactive) writes:
Coach Kiffin, if you are reading this: HIRE TROOPER TAYLOR. He would be the PERFECT assistant coach in your system. He's high energy, he's a great recruiter (probably was UT's best under the former coaching staff), and he's an all around good guy. It was an utter travesty to have let him get away the first time. Offer him more money than Auburn and bring Coach Taylor back home.
P.s. He is NOT overrated.
tvinney#234411 writes:
Why in the hell would he be reading this? Are you delusional? What would make you think that a head coach of a major college football program who makes millions per year would take the time to scroll down to the 24th comment of a random, meaningless article from a newspaper that he probably doesn't even read to seek out your opinion? You're a failure. My God... I don't ever comment, but sometimes I just can't hold my tongue when I see something this stupid.
OrangeMagic writes:
wayoutwill, I will say you are way out there :)
Kiffin explained his reasoning for his smack-talk in the beginning and it has already paid huge dividends in recruiting as it will continue to do. No way we get Brown and Jackson with Fulmer at the helm.
Can you really say you'd rather have a coach that lays down at the feet of Meyer and Spurrier rather than give them a run for their money? You mention losing to UCLA this year but we lost to them last year too as well as to Wyoming. If Kiffin had a better option at QB, that person would be on the field and who knows, maybe NS will get a shot at some time.
In one sentence, you say Kiff should be given time but your entire post is a rant against him. Pick a side :)
Orangeblood13 writes:
yawn
autigers1970 writes:
Are you serious? He lasted one year because he took the job at Auburn. Last year, Okla State was the 6th best offense in the country, right now after 4 games it's the 33rd best. His WRs at OSU helped them have the 38th best passing offense last year. This year, they are 61st with the same QB and mostly the same WRs including Dez Bryant.
In other words, he didn't leave because he didn't do a good job. He left for an opportunity to coach at a higher profile football program in a higher profile conference.
I can't speak to how he'd have done under Fulmer as an OC. But the overrated canard doesn't square with the facts.
ctexorange writes:
You fulmer haters need to let it go, CLK is the coach and accoutnable for what happens on the field this year. That is why he was hired. I will support CLK until he is run out of town in a couple of years by the SAME fans that ran off Fulmer. There is a huge rift in the UT family that will take years to heal.Keep name calling and booing and let's see how much that make this or any other team a winner. Last time I looked, UT wan a NC in 98' before that was how many years? CLK is an interim coach at best. Be patient, another 45 years or so.
UTisaJOKE writes:
"The losses we have are 4 to UCLA and 10 to 30 point favored Florida."
Good heavens, I have never seen a team so excited about a 10 point loss (except maybe Vanderbilt). Let me ask you this, do you think Ohio is at home right now celebrating their 11 point loss? (Remember they were 23 point underdogs.)
Enjoy your 6-6 season.
seventysevenvol writes:
Trooper Taylor brought a lot of energy and emotion to the sideline, but I always thought he was a bit overzealous and immature. Maybe the players enjoyed it, but it never equated to much outstanding play by the WR's? Maybe I'm missing something here. Looks like he's found a good home at Auburn though.
DRAGtheWATERS writes:
I think GRIFF really wrote this article. Trooper was good at self promotion through the press and waving a towel. Wonder where he will coach next year?
GO VOLS!!!
2407westTN_VOLSfan writes:
Wayoutwill, who is Eric Crompton? Do we have another QB? You don't even know the name of the starting QB of the VOLS! I would not respect you football expertise at all if you can't get the names straight! Coach Kiffin said he could not guarantee how many wins we would have this year, but nobody was going to outwork him and so far I believe him. Yeah, he said we would sing Rocky Top all night after winning in the swamp. The team didn't win, but for the first time in years, the Gators knew they had been hit hard by our Volunteers that did not quit like the last couple of years. Somebody else on this site said that some Vols Fans would crucify Vince Lombardi if he were here trying to win. Good God folks - get real! We need to support Coach Kiffin and the entire team in the remaining games. GO BIG ORANGE!
Couchdummy writes:
Well said. Chest bumping and towel waving do not a good coach make.
Healeystyle writes:
Anybody else think it's interesting that we have had 0 players arrested since Trooper left? I'm pretty sure there is a direct correlation between the two. Yes all the players loved him, and I think it's because they could get away with pretty much anything under him. All that chest bumping and towel waving was about as pointless as Phil's clapping. The guy was a clown on the sidelines even if he was a master in the living room.
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