CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- One year ago, Florida State was named the preseason favorite in the ACC and entered the year ranked No. 3 in the country. When then-coach Jimbo Fisher addressed the media at the ACC Football Kickoff, all signs were pointing to the Seminoles reasserting themselves as the league's flagship program. 

Then came Alabama, the loss of Deondre Francois to a season-ending injury and a three-week layoff because of Hurricane Irma. When the Seminoles got back on the field, they were a far different team from what many expected coming into the season. As losses piled up and the program faced more adversity, it became evident that the media's perception of this program didn't match the reality, where a lack of cohesion across the board turned a national title contender into a team fighting for bowl eligibility. 

Based on the way the 2017 season had gone, new head coach Willie Taggart, a Florida native and longtime Florida State fan, joked that he expected to find "a bunch of turds." Instead, he found a talented roster that was ready for a change in culture, players that had chosen to sign with Florida State because they wanted to compete for and win national championships. 

"I think everything about last year shocked me when it came to Florida State," Taggart said. "But that's football, and that's life, and that's behind us now. It's on us now to change those things because we know we can be a lot better than what we did last year."

Taggart spoke highly about the buy-in from the players, and Florida State's players point to the change in culture as a reason to think their new head coach is the right guy to lead this program back to the top of college football.  

"Coach Taggart has brought a new wave, a new culture to Florida State," defensive end Brian Burns said on Thursday. "He's bringing enthusiasm. He's making everybody hold themselves accountable, responsibility, no excuses for anything, whether it's missing a class, weight room, it doesn't matter. There's no excuses for anything, and he's really changing our guys, and I'm really appreciating him."

Burns and running back Cam Akers continued to return to the word accountability when describing the changes and new direction instituted by Taggart. There was no explicit mention of Fisher or the previous staff, but if accountability is one of the biggest differences, then a lack of it had clearly become an issue for the team in 2017. 

"He came in and changed a lot of things, holding each other accountable, and we're really enjoying it. We're really looking forward to the first game," Akers said of Taggart. "He brought a lot of energy, like I said, a lot of energy to the program, and just kind of reviving us and bringing us back to Florida State football, where we're supposed to be."

On the field, Taggart is going to bring a no huddle, tempo attack that will also be a change from what we had come to expect on Saturdays from Florida State. Manipulating tempo and looking for explosive plays are all part of a tag line he likes to use: lethal simplicity. There are three quarterbacks -- Deondre Francois, James Blackman and Bailey Hockman -- all competing for the starting job, and Akers very well could be one of the best running backs in the ACC. Sometimes a team needs a new voice in the locker room to follow, and as we judge Florida State heading into 2018 it's important to remember that many of the same players who led the media to believe they were a national title contender are still around. 

Whether its energy or accountability, Willie Taggart has already made an imprint on Florida State and started to create change within the program. Judging by what he inherited, it's not crazy to think that the Seminoles are not only out of their funk but well-positioned to start making a run at championships in the near future.