Could Willie Taggart be considering poaching a Defensive Coordinator from within the Pac-12 Conference for Oregon Football?
The Oregon Ducks hired Willie Taggart last week as their new Head Coach. He has spent the last five days out recruiting and working the phones. His Coaching Staff with the Ducks has yet to take shape, but last week it was announced that Oregon had $4 million in the bank for Assistant Coaches.
Charlie Strong was at the top of the list, but was hired over the weekend as Head Coach of the University of South Florida, Taggart’s old school. The Oregon Football Head Coach has said there are plenty of folks that want to come to coach the Ducks.
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One of those names may be Jim Leavitt, the current Defensive Coordinator for the Colorado Buffaloes. Would Oregon Football take a shot at a DC from a Pac-12 school? Leavitt is making $500,000 at Colorado, and with the money that Oregon has for coordinators, he could easily be bumped up to $1 million, but is he worth that much?
Colorado was 4-9 in his first season giving up an average of 27 points per game in 13 games. One was a 48-0 shutout win over Nicholls State. In 2016 the team went 10-3 and will play in a bowl game. The Buffaloes finished 8-1 in the Pac-12 Conference and were in the conversation the final weeks of the regular season for the College Football Playoff.
I've been told Jim Leavitt is a name to watch for Willie Taggart's DC job at Oregon.
— Josh Newberg (@josh_newberg) December 12, 2016
Leavitt was Head Coach at USF before Willie Taggart took the job and started the process of leading the program to recognition Nationally. He was fired following an investigation that he struck a player in the locker room. Jim Harbaugh hired Leavitt in San Francisco as Linebackers Coach before he went to Colorado.
Colorado’s Total Defense in 2016 is ranked 17th in the Nation compared to where Brady Hoke had the Oregon Defense, which was near the bottom of the NCAA for a good part of the season, especially in the category of points allowed per game.
The Coaching Tree for Jim Leavitt as well as the tree of Taggart. Both have Harbaugh ties which could be an interesting move, if it develops.
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Last week when asked about the Oregon Football Coaching Staff moving forward, Taggart said he was looking for the candidates with the ‘right fit.’