Tony Dungy endorses USF’s Willie Taggart for Oregon job

As Oregon ramps up their search for Mark Helfrich’s replacement, South Florida head coach Willie Taggart has received a notable endorsement.

A few days after a 4-8 season ended, Mark Helfrich was officially out as Oregon football coach. The search for a replacement has started to heat up, with former coach Chip Kelly still saying he has no interest in returning to Eugene while also apparently rebutting Helfrich’s plea to come back.

Oregon athletic director Rob Mullens reportedly interviewed Boise State head coach Bryan Harsin and South Florida head coach Willie Taggart in the Dallas area on Friday. On Saturday, the latter candidate received a very notable endorsement.

Dungy added that he spoke to Oregon officials on Taggart’s behalf. Here’s a bit more of what the former NFL coach and Pro Football Hall of Famer told ESPN’s Brett McMurphy.

"“I certainly think he’s a good fit,” Dungy said. “I had a chance to watch him coach a year 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 (at Western Kentucky and USF). He knows the West Coast, having been (an assistant) at Stanford (from 2007-09). He has all the elements Oregon is looking for. He’s a bright, young coach and it makes him easy to recommend.”"

Dungy’s son Eric played at Oregon from 2010-13, before transferring to USF and playing for Taggart in 2014. That was Taggart’s second season at the school, and during his tenure the Bulls’ win total has gone from 2 to 4 to 8 to 10 this year with a bowl game obviously still to play.

Taggart, 40,  is one of multiple rumored candidates for the Oregon job. Western Michigan coach P.J. Fleck, Florida coach Jim McElwain, Central Florida coach Scott Frost and Ohio State co-defensive coordinator Greg Schiano have been mentioned before, but McMurphy’s source added Oakland Raiders offensive coordinator (and Oregon alum) Bill Musgrave to the list.

Related Story: 5 potential replacements for Mark Helfrich at Oregon

McMurphy further reported Oregon would prefer to have a new coach in place by early next week. While getting ahead of the curve and interviewing candidates quickly is fine, the goal of hiring a new coach less than a week after officially firing Helfrich points to the possibility of a rushed process.