Report: Willie Taggart wants Charlie Strong as his Oregon DC
By John Buhler
New Oregon Ducks head football coach Willie Taggart reportedly wants former Texas Longhorns head coach Charlie Strong to be his defensive coordinator.
Oregon Ducks athletic director Rob Mullens decided he had enough with Mark Helfrich as the Ducks head football coach. The Ducks were an atrocious 4-8 in Helfrich’s final year in Eugene. Oregon had become incredibly soft thanks to the limitations of the once beloved Chip Kelly spread offense.
Mullens wisely hired former Western Kentucky Hilltoppers and South Florida Bulls head coach Willie Taggart to be the next guy to lead the Ducks football program. Taggart runs a pro-style offense and is a phenomenal recruiter.
Overall, Oregon has the chance to get back to what it was under former head coach Mike Bellotti, a perennial contender in the Pac-12. Rival Washington has a better head coach in Chris Petersen and USC is about to explode under Clay Helton.
For Taggart to have a chance at being a national power in Eugene, he’ll need to hire the right defensive coordinator. According to 24/7 Sports’ Matt Prehm, Taggart is targeting former Texas Longhorns head coach Charlie Strong as his preferred candidate for Oregon defensive coordinator.
Strong was an elite defensive coordinator for Urban Meyer’s Florida Gators and a solid mid-major head coach for the Louisville Cardinals. Coaching in the Big 12 dominated by the Air Raid offense was a disaster for defensive-minded Strong. The Air Raid made Strong’s Texas team weak defensively and he was out of a job after three years in Austin.
Strong would be the perfect defensive coordinator for Taggart at Oregon. They both recruit well and would complement each other as coaches. Should Strong go to Oregon, that would mean he would not replace Taggart in Tampa at South Florida.
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One would have to believe the South Florida job would be going to Alabama Crimson Tide offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin. Kiffin didn’t get the Houston Cougars job that went to offensive coordinator Major Applewhite.