Reports: Oregon interviews Taggart
University of South Florida head football coach Willie Taggart interviewed with Oregon athletic director Rob Mullens in the Dallas area on Friday, according to multiple media reports, on Saturday that cited anonymous sources.
Taggart, who is in his fourth year at South Florida, has seen his coaching stock rise while guiding the Bulls to a 10-win season. Taggart is 40-45 overall in his career, including a 24-25 record at South Florida.
Taggart is not the only coach Oregon has interviewed or plans to interview. According to reports, Boise State head coach Bryan Harsin has also been interviewed, and Western Michigan coach P.J. Fleck’s name has been repeatedly mentioned on the candidate list. Harsin has a 38-13 career record in three seasons at Boise State and one at Arkansas State. Fleck has a 30-21 mark in four seasons at Western Michigan.
Oregon is searching for a coach after parting ways with Mark Helfrich on Tuesday following an 4-8 record in his fourth season. He went 37-16 overall at Oregon.
The interviews are taking place in Dallas because Mullens has been in the city carrying out his duties with the College Football Playoff selection committee.
Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Tony Dungy, whose son, Eric, played at Oregon from 2010-2013, voiced his support for Taggart in an interview with ESPN on Saturday.
“I certainly think he’s a good fit,” Dungy told ESPN’s Brett McMurphy. “I had a chance to watch him coach when my son played there. I liked his style. I think he’s a guy that can relate to the players very well.
“He’s put together two winning programs (Western Kentucky and USF). He knows the West Coast, having been at Stanford (2007-09). He has all the elements Oregon is looking for. ... Oregon is a great job and hopefully he gets it. If not, we’re happy to still have him in Tampa.”
Taggart replaced Skip Holtz after the 2012 season in which the Bulls finished 3-9. After struggling to 2-10 and 4-8 records his first two seasons, USF turned the corner last season, finishing 8-5. Taggart’s Bulls have won 17 of their past 21 games and will learn their bowl destination on Sunday.
Oregon is one of eight programs seeking a head coach, joining Houston, Purdue, Baylor, Florida Atlantic, San Jose State, Georgia State, and Nevada.
This story was originally published December 4, 2016 at 12:34 AM with the headline "Reports: Oregon interviews Taggart."