That didn't take long at all.
Just ten days after it was announced that Tim Lester was fired from their football program, Western Michigan University named their 17th new head football coach Thursday.
A Mt. Vernon, Alabama native, Lance Taylor, 41, will be leading the Broncos after finishing the 2022 season as the offensive coordinator with the University of Louisville, according to Western Michigan University Director of Athletics Dan Bartholomae.
"At the start of this process, we were searching for someone with relentless energy and the capacity to lift everyone around them to greater aspirational heights," Bartholomae said. "We also sought someone who had demonstrated championship success throughout his life and career. Coach Taylor is quite simply one of the most impressive individuals I have had the pleasure to spend time with."
A walk-on at the University of Alabama, Taylor played in 38 consecutive games as a wide-receiver from 1999-2003 for the Crimson Tide, and earned a special team's captain for then-coach Mike Shula, according to Western Michigan University athletics.
He also played professionally for the Colorado Crush and Columbus Destroyers of the Arena Football League, and AF2's Green Bay Blizzard and Louisville Fire from 2004-2006.
Taylor graduated from University of Alabama in 2003 with a degree in management, officials said. His father, James Taylor, had also attended the University of Alabama, playing running back under legendary head coach Paul "Bear" Bryant.
Starting his career at his alma mater, Taylor served as a graduate assistant for Nick Saban from 2007-2008.
Since then, Taylor has had two coaching stints with the Carolina Panthers, worked with the New York Jets, and coached at various universities, according to Western Michigan University athletics.
A full list of Taylor's coaching credits can be found below:
- 2007-'08: Alabama (Offensive GA)
- 2009: Appalachian State (Wide Receivers)
- 2010-'12: New York Jets (Intern - '10; Offensive Quality Control - '11; Assistant Tight Ends - '12)
- 2013: Carolina Panthers (Asst. Wide Receivers)
- 2014-'16: Stanford (Running Backs)
- 2017-'18: Carolina Panthers (Wide Receivers)
- 2019-'21: Notre Dame (Run Game Coordinator/Running Backs)
- 2022: Louisville (Offensive Coordinator)
Other highlights of Taylor's career include the following:
- Coached and mentored Heisman Trophy runner-up Christian McCaffrey and recruited second Heisman runner up Bryce Love at Stanford.
- Won a Pac-12 Championship, a Rose Bowl, and was named the 2015 FootballScoop.com Running Backs Coach of the Year.
- Set school records at Appalachian State with 284 receptions and 3,621 receiving yards. The team finished 11-3, won the Southern Conference Title and advanced to the Football Championship subdivision semifinals.
Prior to his arrival in Kalamazoo, Taylor spent three seasons as the running backs coach and run game coordinator at the University of Notre Dame, leading the Fighting Irish to a 2022 college football playoff, and a New Year's Six Fiesta Bowl in 2021.
"Most importantly, Coach Taylor is an inspirational leader with high integrity and shares my passion to lead the country in the holistic development of our student-athletes," Bartholomae continued. "Our vision aligned within minutes of conversation, and our future is in great hands."
Taylor released the following statement regarding his new role at Western Michigan University:
"I am humbled and honored for the opportunity to be the head football coach at Western Michigan University. I would like to thank President Montgomery and Director of Athletics Dan Bartholomae for selecting me to lead this program. I believe in Dan's vision and mission of comprehensive excellence and the holistic development of our student-athletes. I will work relentlessly in helping our players be prepared and successful in the classroom and on the football field. We will play with great effort, intensity, and passion and WE WILL WIN CHAMPIONSHIPS! My family and I are excited to be part of Bronco Nation and the greater Kalamazoo community. We can't wait to get started.
Bartholomae is scheduled to introduce Taylor as Western's newest head football coach during a press conference Friday at 2:30 p.m. in WMU's Heritage Hall.