According to a report, the University of South Florida is pursuing former Texas Longhorns head coach Charlie Strong to take over for Willie Taggart.
The dismissal of head coach Charlie Strong has been one of the most discussed firings in college football in recent memory. Although the writing was on the wall for Strong, he was a respected head coach among his peers and players, and the way his firing was handled has been debated at great length. The good news for Strong is that he might not be out of a job for long.
Roy Cummings of Florida Football Insiders broke news on Thursday night, that the University of South Florida was going after Strong to be their new head coach. With Willie Taggart leaving for the University of Oregon, the Bulls needed a new head coach.
After that report came out, Joey Knight of the Tampa Bay Times confirmed USF is chasing after Strong and went as far as to say a deal could be wrapped up very quickly between the two sides.
We've learned #USF is in fact pursuing Charlie Strong as we tweet. This could -- could -- wrap up quickly.
— Joey Knight (@TBTimes_Bulls) December 8, 2016
If the Bulls are indeed able to land Strong as their head coach, it could end up as a fantastic move for them. While things didn’t end well for Strong at Texas, it’s believed by many that he was dealing with a young team in transition this year and has set the program up with talent to succeed down the line.
Even if that isn’t completely the case, Strong has done well for himself in other stops besides Texas and can coach a team. He’s the right coach for USF, and will come in and have the respect of his players immediately.
If he can help bring in recruits and keep them a competitive team, then Strong has a real chance to build up his value around college football again. He wasn’t going to be without a job for long and it would be nice to see him land on his feet again.