Joe Kinnan on future with USF: ‘Whatever happens, happens’

After two years of stability, Joe Kinnan’s future is again uncertain.

The former Manatee High School head coach spent the past two seasons as Willie Taggart’s senior offensive consultant at the University of South Florida, and he will remain at USF through the Birmingham Bowl in the wake of Taggart’s departure for Oregon. After the 25th-ranked Bulls face South Carolina on Dec. 27, Kinnan is leaving his plans open.

“The coaching staff is staying intact,” Kinnan said. “We’re going to coach through the bowl game and then whatever happens, happens.”

Kinnan, who coached Manatee to the Class 5A state championship in 1992 with Taggart at quarterback, is one of two assistants on USF’s staff with ties to Manatee County. Defensive coordinator Raymond Woodie is a Palmetto native like Taggart and previously served as the head coach at both Palmetto High School and Bayshore High School.

Attempts to reach Woodie were unsuccessful.

Woodie, 42, has been at Taggart’s side since 2010, when he left Palmetto to become Western Kentucky’s defensive ends coach during Taggart’s first season as the Hilltoppers’ head coach. Woodie followed Taggart to Tampa in 2013 when Taggart took the head job with the Bulls, and he was promoted to defensive coordinator in the offseason. He has also been the assistant head coach since 2015.

Co-offensive coordinator T.J. Weist was named interim coach for the Bulls. Weist served as interim coach at Connecticut in 2013.

“Our plan right now is to try and achieve that 11th victory,” Kinnan said. “You know, 10 was a school record, so we would like to lead to an 11th. Who will be here next year? That remains to be seen.”

Taggart brought Kinnan on board after a second shaky season with the Bulls in 2014. The head coach wanted to shift away from a West Coast system and to the type of spread attack Kinnan used during his final years with the Hurricanes.

Kinnan, who still has a home in Bradenton, said he hasn’t given any thought to moving to Eugene, Ore., and continuing to work with Taggart if asked. He is content with the way his career has gone, though. He’s in the Florida Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Fame and has helped USF to one of the best seasons in program history.

“I’m old enough. I’ve not had to worry about giving it any thought about what’s going to change now,” said Kinnan, who is 71. “These guys have more problems than I do. I’ve been retired previously. They’ve got family, they’ve got kids, they’ve got a career ahead of them and most of mine is in the rear view mirror.”

This story was originally published December 7, 2016 at 4:09 PM with the headline "Joe Kinnan on future with USF: ‘Whatever happens, happens’."