The Miami native will coach tight ends
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida State has added renowned coach Telly Lockette as its new tight ends coach, head coach Willie Taggart announced Thursday.
“I’ve known Coach Lockette for a long time and am excited he is joining our staff at Florida State,” Taggart said. “He was an important part of my first staff at South Florida and has gained Power 5 experience with his last three seasons in the Pac-12. Coach Lockette is a tremendous recruiter and coach who does a phenomenal job developing student-athletes on and off the field. While we were at South Florida he was the primary recruiter for the Miami area and helped us sign a number of impact players, including Quinton Flowers, Khalid McGee and Deatrick Nichols. His expertise will benefit our current and future Seminoles.”
Lockette returns to his home state and reunites with Taggart as the pair worked together at South Florida for two seasons. Lockette has spent the previous three seasons coaching running backs at Oregon State after serving in the same capacity at USF in 2013 and 2014.
Prior to entering college coaching, he coached two of Miami’s most successful high school programs as the head coach at Miami Central and the offensive coordinator at Miami Northwestern, his alma mater. The esteemed list of players he coached in high school includes FSU’s all-time rushing leader Dalvin Cook and fellow former Seminole running back and two-time Pro Bowl selection Devonta Freeman.
“It’s a blessing to have this opportunity to reunite with Coach Taggart and be back in the state of Florida,” Lockette said. “I’ll always be thankful for my time at Oregon State and the opportunity provided to me there. I am elated to be at Florida State University, and I’m looking forward to helping Coach Taggart and our student-athletes however I can.”
In 2016 at Oregon State, Lockette directed a rushing attack that broke the school’s single-season record with an average of 5.2 yards per carry. That season, the Beavers ranked fourth in the Pac-12 and 28th in the country in yards per rush. While in Corvallis, Lockette oversaw the development of Ryan Nall, who had the 10th-highest rushing average in the Pac-12 in 2017 and in 2016 totaled 1,165 yards from scrimmage and 15 touchdowns.
At South Florida, Lockette helped Coach Taggart establish the foundation for the Bulls’ ascent to contenders in the American Athletic Conference. Lockette tutored Marlon Mack, the 2014 AAC Freshman of the Year and first-team all-conference selection who led the conference in rushing while becoming South Florida’s first 1,000-yard rusher since 2005. In his collegiate debut, Mack rushed for a USF- and AAC-record 275 yards. Mack would go on to earn first-team all-conference honors in each of his three seasons and break 14 school records before being picked in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts.
At Miami Central, Lockette earned a 60-10 overall record and won two 6A state championships. The Rockets were ranked as the No. 1 high school team in the nation following their 2012 state title and were the country’s No. 2 high school team after a state championship in 2010. Lockette, who also guided Miami Central to the 2011 state championship game, was the first coach in South Florida high school history to coach a team to three straight state title game appearances.
In addition to his state titles, Lockette had an undefeated record against teams in Dade and Broward Counties for a state-record three straight years. He also was tapped to coach in the Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl twice and was an assistant coach on the USA National Football Team. He was recognized as the Prep Coach of the Year by Nike, the Miami Dolphins and the Miami Herald and earned the Nike Sportsmanship Award.
His final season at Miami Northwestern featured an offense that averaged 43.3 points per game during a 15-0 season that culminated in the 6A state crown, the school’s first since 1998. His explosive offense re-wrote the state record book, including breaking the record for points per game in a season. During his time as a high school coach, Lockette worked with more than 70 players who earned college scholarship offers.
Lockette was a standout linebacker at Idaho State during his collegiate playing days. He was a two-time All-American for the Bengals and was inducted into the Idaho State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2013.
Lockette earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Idaho State in 1998. He and his wife, Shikira, have three children, Jakari, Tellek and Skylar.
Telly Lockette Coaching History
Dec. 2017- Florida State Tight Ends Coach
2015-17 Oregon State Running Backs Coach
2013-14 South Florida Running Backs Coach
2008-12 Miami Central High School Head Coach
2003-06 Miami Northwestern Offensive Coordinator/Running Backs