Willie Taggart, a coaching veteran with more than 25 years of experience, enters his first season as the New York Giants' running backs coach. The 2026 season marks his fourth year coaching in the NFL. He coached in the college ranks for 24 years, including 13 seasons as a head coach.
Taggart spent the previous three seasons on John Harbaugh's staff in Baltimore. In 2023 and 2024, he served as the running backs coach, and in 2025, he added the title of assistant head coach. Each year Taggart was on staff, Derrick Henry finished among the league's top two in rushing yards, while finishing in the top two in rushing touchdowns in both 2024 and 2025. Under Taggart's guidance, Henry set franchise records for the most rushing touchdowns in a single season (16 in both 2024 and 2025) and recorded the second- and third-highest single-season rushing totals (1,921 in 2024 and 1,595 in 2025) in team history.
At the collegiate level, Taggart spent 13 seasons (2010-22) as a head coach across five different programs. From 2020-22, he was the head coach at Florida Atlantic and earned a berth in the 2020 Montgomery Bowl.
Prior to his stint at FAU, Taggart coached for two seasons at Florida State (2018-19). In 2018, he coached Brian Burns, who earned first-team All-ACC honors after setting career highs in tackles for loss (15.5) and sacks (10.0). Before his time at Florida State, Taggart spent the 2017 season as the head coach at Oregon, guiding the Ducks to a 7–5 record.
Taggart spent four seasons (2013-16) as the head coach at South Florida. Taking over a program that had won just three games in 2012, he led the Bulls to a 10–2 record and a No. 19 national ranking in 2016, making it just the second time in program history the team finished the regular season ranked.
Taggart earned his first head coaching opportunity in 2010 at his alma mater, Western Kentucky. He inherited a program coming off a 0–12 season and engineered a turnaround, leading the Hilltoppers to back-to-back 7–5 campaigns in 2011 and 2012.
Before becoming a head coach, Taggart spent three seasons (2007-09) as the running backs coach on Jim Harbaugh's staff at Stanford. He oversaw the ascension of Toby Gerhart, the 2009 Doak Walker Award winner and a Heisman Trophy runner-up who led the nation with 1,871 rushing yards and 28 touchdowns while setting several school and national records.
Taggart began his coaching career in 1999 at Western Kentucky, where he held a number of roles on the offensive side of the ball across eight seasons. He coached wide receivers in 1999 before transitioning to quarterbacks in 2000, a position he led through 2006. He added co-offensive coordinator duties in 2001 and 2002 and served his final three seasons (2003–06) as assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach.
A standout quarterback for Western Kentucky from 1995-98, Taggart was recruited by Jim Harbaugh to play for his father, Jack Harbaugh, who was the head coach from 1989-2002. A four-year starter for the Hilltoppers, Taggart was a two-time finalist for the Walter Payton Award, given annually to the top offensive player in I-AA football. His jersey number (1) was retired by the school in 1999, one of only four numbers retired by the program.
A native of Bradenton, Fla., Taggart earned his bachelor's degree from Western Kentucky in social sciences. He attended Manatee High School, where he helped lead the Hurricanes to consecutive 5A state championship game appearances, winning the title as a junior. He and his wife, Taneshia, have three children, Willie Jr., Jackson and Morgan.
TAGGART'S COACHING CAREER
2026: New York Giants - Running Backs
2025: Baltimore Ravens - Assistant Head Coach/Running Backs
2023-24: Baltimore Ravens - Running Backs
2020-22: Florida Atlantic University - Head Coach
2018-19: Florida State University - Head Coach
2017: University of Oregon - Head Coach
2013-16: University of South Florida - Head Coach
2010-12: Western Kentucky University - Head Coach
2007-09: Stanford University - Running Backs
2003-06: Western Kentucky University - Assistant Head Coach/Quarterbacks
2001-02: Western Kentucky University - Co-Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
2000: Western Kentucky University - Quarterbacks
1999: Western Kentucky University - Wide Receivers
