Oregon Football: Willie Taggart Brings New Energy To Ducks
Oregon Football Head Coach Willie Taggart has been busy in his first two days on the job, a sign of the positive shift moving forward.
If Charter planes gave Frequent Flyer Miles, then Willie Taggart would have a new best friend. In the last four days he has flown from Florida, to Oregon and to Hawaii to spend time with three possible recruits. I know one thing – he is probably on the road as I write this, or bunkered in his office at the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex going over tape of his current team.
Head Coach Willie Taggart is different from the last several coaches that Oregon has had. For one, he has a personality. He is likable. Not to say that Mark Helfrich and Chip Kelly were not, but he brings a different, much-needed energy into a program that needs a tweak to get back to where fans think they should be.
High energy can only get you so far. Taggart will need time and patience and has a plan. We don’t know the entire breakdown, but Rob Mullens has a good enough idea since he has been hired. The plan over the next few days is clearly recruiting and he has shown he can get around.
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Taggart also is in the process of trying to assemble a staff which we should have more details on in the coming days. If you are in the Eugene/Springfield area I can almost guarantee that Taggart is not in the car behind you. You won’t find him shopping at Walmart. He is out and about, talking up the Oregon Football program both in person and on the phone.
It is a nice breath of fresh air entering the off-season that Oregon Football has someone hard at work since the season has ended. He is working toward a better 2017 and the team is still six months from taking the field in the Spring game. His energy and focus now will require patience in August.
I like many of you is intrigued. The coming week will see a lot of attention on Oregon Football. Aside from recruiting, Royce Freeman and Tyrell Crosby are nearing respective decisions on their future. Will they return or head to the NFL? Taggart will begin to answer the question about his staff which should start to take shape.
As much as we would all like to see Oregon Football competing in a bowl game, the restructuring process under Taggart is almost more fun to watch knowing that the future of the program is in good hands.