Jim Leavitt Named Oregon DC: Latest Contract Details and Reaction

The Oregon Ducks have agreed to a contract with Jim Leavitt to make him the team's new defensive coordinator under head coach Willie Taggart, according to Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports on Dec. 14.

Colorado head coach Mike MacIntyre confirmed the hire in a statement to Brian Howell of the Boulder Daily Camera on Dec. 15: 

According to Feldman's report, Leavitt—Colorado's defensive coordinator this past season—signed a four-year deal. Leavitt will earn $1.15 million per year, reported Andrew Greif of the Oregonian on Thursday, who noted that if the coach were to leave the school early, he wouldn't owe them a dime if he were hired as head coach of Kansas State.

The deal also will reportedly make Leavitt the highest-paid coordinator in Pac-12 history at a public institution, per Feldman, who offered more context on the signing:

Leavitt made a huge impact on Colorado's defense, as Dennis Dodd of CBSSports.com added:

In other words, Oregon's defense should see a turnaround sooner than later, while Colorado will have to deal with the fallout of losing the defensive coordinator who solidified that side of the ball for the Buffaloes over the past two years and was a finalist for the Broyles Award this year, given to the nation's top assistant.

Leavitt's resume also includes a head coaching gig with South Florida (2000-09) and a job as the linebackers coach for the San Francisco 49ers (2011-15).

Certainly, the hire is a headliner for Taggert, who will have between $3.7 million and $4 million to put together his staff, as athletic director Rob Mullens confirmed, per Greif. And it should signal a new era for Oregon defensive football as well, as Leavitt has his roots in the smashmouth, physical football Jim Harbaugh became known for in his stints at Stanford, San Francisco and now Michigan. 

"When you see a Willie Taggart football team, you know a lot of that came from the Harbaughs," Leavitt said himself, per Greif.

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