Eastern Washington University and head coach Beau Baldwin has announced the hiring of Troy Taylor as the school's new quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator.
 
Besides having seven years of high school head coaching experience, Taylor was an assistant coach at Cal from 1996-2000 and was a record-breaking quarterback for the Bears from 1995-96. He even served as a radio analyst at Cal from 2005-2011. Taylor is the former coach of current Washington quarterback Jake Browning, who set numerous national and state passing records while a Parade All-American at Folsom High School near Sacramento, Calif.
 
He takes over an Eastern passing offense that led FCS with an average of 353.3 yards per game, and were eighth in total offense (478.5). In the last 12 seasons (2004-15), EWU has now ranked in the top 10 in passing 10 times and in total offense on eight occasions.
 
Taylor takes the place of Zak Hill, who was EWU's passing game coordinator until departing for a position at Hawaii, and is now at Boise State. Veteran offensive line coach Aaron Best will continue as running game coordinator.
 
"We're excited to have Troy within our program, and we're excited for what he brings," said Baldwin, who is also actively involved with the offense. "He's a coach I believe can fit really well into what we are already doing, but he can bring a lot of new ideas and freshness to improve upon the things we've previously accomplished. His teams have  consistently performed at a high level for a long time."
 
Taylor, 47, is leaving his position as co-head football coach at Folsom High School near Sacramento, a post he has held from 2002-2004 and 2012-15.  He has been a teacher at Folsom since 2002.
 
"I'm excited, ready for a new challenge, and it seems like a unique fit," Taylor told the Sacramento Bee. "I loved my time at Folsom, being part of a great program, and all the great players and coaches."
 
"Eastern Washington is a nice, unique fit," he said of EWU. "It's an incredible program. They're not trying to get their feet under them. It's established, and it's an honor. I was really impressed with their coaches, a great staff, a lot of humility, and a desire to get better."
 
Taylor himself was a standout high school quarterback, earning Sacramento Bee Player of the Year honors at Cordova High School in 1985. In 1989 at Cal, Taylor led the Pac-10 with an average of 253 total offensive yards per game. He finished his college career as Cal's all-time leading passer with 8,126 yards, a mark that was broken in 2015 by Jared Goff. He received his bachelor's degree in sociology in 1994, and received his master's degree in cross-cultural teaching from National University in Sacramento.
 
After his playing career at Cal concluded, he was with the New York Jets from 1990-92 and was a graduate assistant at Colorado from 1995-96. He was also an assistant athletic director and assistant football coach at Christian Brothers High School in Sacramento from 2000-2002 before taking the position at Folsom.

"When I really sat down and spent some time with him, it took me to another level in how I thought he would fit at Eastern Washington and what we are doing," added Baldwin. "We know he will truly bring some new, fresh and innovative ideas, and make us a lot better today than where we were yesterday."
 
Taylor was born April 5, 1968. He and his wife, Tracey, have three children – sons, Noah (15) and Aaron (7) and a daughter, Ella (10).
 
 
 
As Co-Head Coach at Folsom, Bulldogs go 58-3 since 2012 . . .
 
In 2012, Taylor became Folsom's co-coach, joining Kris Richardson. He helped guide the Bulldogs to a 58-3 record in four seasons, winning four Sac-Joaquin Section championships and the 2014 CIF State Division I title when Folsom won 16 games.
 
Their star quarterback from 2012-14 was Jake Browning, who played as a true freshman at Washington this past fall. In fact, if Browning was to redshirt and play four years, he could compete against Eastern and Taylor when the Eagles play the Huskies in Seattle on Aug. 31, 2019. Washington head coach Chris Peterson actually provided Baldwin with a strong reference on behalf of Taylor.
 
"While we recruited Northern California, we were able to get a really good feel for the type of coach he is and the competitiveness he instilled in his teams," said Baldwin. "Some of his team's achievements have been off-the-charts, both as a co-head coach, offensive coordinator and coaching quarterbacks. On top of that, he's run passing academies in Northern California and is very well-respected."
 
Taylor helped Browning set national records for both touchdowns in a season (91 in 2014, tied) and a career (229, in just three seasons). He finished with 1,191 completions in 1,708 attempts for 16,775 yards and 229 scores, all of those setting new California state records. He was the first high school player to ever throw for 60 or more TDs and for 5,000 yards in three straight seasons. As a senior, he set state records with 5,790 yards (breaking his own mark set as a junior) and 91 TDs while completing 360-for-524 passes with only seven interceptions.
 
From 2012-14 the Bulldogs ranked in the top three nationally in passing yards, while leading California in both passing yards and touchdowns. The 2012 squad finished third nationally with 5,248 yards and 63 touchdowns, then was second in the nation in 2013 with 5,748 yards, a 76 percent completion rate and 75 scores. The school led the nation in passing yards and touchdowns in 2014 with 5,897 yards, 92 touchdowns and a 69 percent completion rate. Last season, despite not having Browning at the helm, the Bulldogs still completed 70 percent of their passes and finished with 4,237 yards to rank second in the state and 50 touchdowns to rank third.
 
"Those numbers blow you away, but honestly, it's a lot more than that," added Baldwin. "How he teaches and how he relates to players is the by-product of those incredible numbers. It's one thing to accomplish something one time or here and there, but when you do it consistently it shows growth."