FCS National Coach of the Year Troy Taylor on the turnaround at Sacramento State

From zero wins in the Big Sky Conference to the school’s first playoff berth in the Division 1 era, Sacramento State had the biggest turnaround in college football. In his first year as the head coach of the Hornets, Troy Taylor instilled a winning culture while demanding balance from his players and staff. The former star quarterback at Cal helped build a juggernaut at Folsom and after stints at Eastern Washington and Utah returned to Sacramento to lead the renaissance. Under Taylor, the Hornets won the Big Sky Conference championship for the first time, making him an easy choice for conference coach of the year. He’ll need more room on the trophy case after being named the Eddie Robinson Award winner for FCS National Coach of the Year. Taylor scoffs at the notion of “the grind” of coaching, describes the epiphany developed his offensive philosophy and shares an experience from his high school days that helped shape his view of loyalty.