Rutgers has already gone back to its past for its next head football coach. Would an AAC school be willing to do the same?
After four years as the head coach at South Florida, Willie Taggart left USF for Oregon -- for one season as it turned out as he left the Pac-12 school for the Florida State job in December of 2017. Less than two full seasons later, though, Taggart was shown the door by the Seminoles in early November.
Nearly one month later, Charlie Strong was given the boot by USF, and almost immediately the speculation turned to Taggart as a potential replacement. If the Bulls to show an interest in Taggart, a native of Bradenton, Fla., it appears the coach would be very, very amenable to a reunion.
I've learned representatives of #USF have been in contact with former Bulls coach Willie Taggart regarding his old job. Taggart badly wants a second act in Tampa, willing to commit in writing he's in it for the long haul.
— Joey Knight (@TBTimes_Bulls) December 4, 2019
During his time with the Bulls, Taggart posted a 24-25 record. His last two years, however, USF went 18-7, including the first 10-win season in school history that made him a hot commodity on the 2016-17 coaching carousel and ultimately led him to Eugene.
Taggart’s most recent former employer, of course, would love for their former employer to secure a new job ASAP.
According to Taggart’s contract at FSU, he is owed somewhere in the neighborhood of $18 million in the form of a buyout -- unless he’s not due to the fact that a deal was reportedly never formally signed -- after being fired without cause. That number would be offset by whatever compensation Taggart were to receive if he takes another head-coaching job such as USF.
