Troy Taylor, former player of the year at Cordova High School and coach with state champion Folsom High, will now lead the Sacramento State football program.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Taylor smiled in a tan Sac State hat while thanking his family for moving to Eastern Washington, then Utah, and now back to Sacramento during the last three years.
He said players from the greater Sacramento region will be key to turning around a program that lost its last seven games and failed to beat a conference opponent this season.
"This recruiting base is larger than any recruiting base in the Big Sky, in the Sacramento area,” he said. “So, we don't have to go very far to find great players. I just think they'll have a little bit more heart and belief in Sacramento.”
He added: “There aren’t any players from Folsom on the team now, but there will be.” Taylor left Folsom after a 58-3 record as co-head coach, including winning the 2014 Division I championship.
President Robert Nelsen says he was set on hiring Taylor. He was asked by a recruiting firm who he would pick if he could choose any coach? “And I said, ‘Troy Taylor,” Nelson responded. “And they looked at me and said, ‘You can’t get him.’ And I said, ‘Troy Taylor.’
“And today, we’ve got Troy.”
Taylor played high school football at Cordova, and later for UC Berkeley, where he left as the Bears’ all-time leading passer (8,126 yards). He was drafted in 1990 by the New York Jets and played minimally in seven NFL games, completing 12 of 20 passes.
At the press conference, Taylor said great teams are built with love and support. “Love is the most powerful force in the world and when you have a team that truly cares about one another, you can accomplish almost anything,” he said.
Athletic Director Mark Orr says the school wanted a coach who was familiar with the Big Sky Conference, was committed to teaching, and would stress academics. “Lastly, we wanted someone who desires to be innovative,” Orr explained.
He noted that innovation was everywhere on campus. “We can add football to that, because this gentlemen is one of the most innovative coaches in the country,” he added of Taylor.
The new head coach promises an attack-style offense that will put defenses in uncomfortable situations. Taylor’s teams at Eastern Washington University and University of Utah were up-tempo winners.
This year’s 17th ranked Utah team finished first in the Pac-12 South conference and will play No. 25 Northwestern in the Holiday Bowl on New Year’s Eve.
Taylor says his first decision as Sac State coach will be the hiring of a defensive coordinator. This year's Sac State team allowed 530 yards per game, which was last in the Big Sky Conference.
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