Willie Taggart to Oregon: Latest Contract Details, Comments and Reaction

South Florida head football coach Willie Taggart decided to leave the program Wednesday to accept the same position at Oregon.

Oregon announced the move after Brett McMurphy of ESPN.com first reported the news. Pete Thamel of Sports Illustrated reported Taggart signed a five-year contract worth an average of $3.2 million per season.

Taggart led the Bulls to a mundane 24-25 record across four years in charge, but progress was noticeable during his time in Tampa. The program went from two victories in 2013, his first season, to 10 wins during the current campaign.

Matt Murschel of the Orlando Sentinel passed along comments from the 40-year-old coach in late November about the satisfaction that comes with seeing things turn around.

"You had a plan and you had a vision, and we all knew we had to work our butts off to get it right because it wasn't right," Taggart said. "It's gratifying that the plan and the vision is coming together. These kids are growing up, and they understand it too."

It's the second success story under the Florida native's guidance. The former college quarterback previously led a turnaround at Western Kentucky, his alma mater, which endured a winless campaign in 2009. After two wins in his first year in 2010, the team put together back-to-back seven-win seasons.

His growing reputation as a program-builder landed him in the national spotlight as the coaching carousel began to spin over the past few months.

Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports gave Taggart high praise as the attention increased:

Of course, there's a myriad of differences between revamping a team like Western Kentucky or South Florida and doing so with a high-profile program. The biggest difference is often the amount of pressure, with a demand for instant gratification rather than the patience to wait on a multiyear plan.

"I’ve never had the opportunity to have the kind of resources we have here," Taggart told reporters when asked about the jump to a Power Five school.

Oregon is looking to turn the tide quickly.

The Ducks became a national power under former head coaches Mike Bellotti and Chip Kelly, followed by Mark Helfrich. Oregon made two trips to the national title game and finished in the Top 11 of the Associated Press poll in seven straight years.

The Ducks decided to move on from Helfrich following a downward trend over the last two seasons, though. After 24 wins across his first two campaigns, the team went 9-4 in 2015 and fell to 4-8 in 2016. The onus is on the incoming staff to get things trending in a positive direction right away.

One of his first moves will be to bolster the Ducks defense, and Taggart said he wants to "get a really good defensive coordinator. The best one we can get."

As for the offense, Taggart said, "It'll be fast, it'll be tough, and it'll be exciting."

Taggart told reporters the goal is to win a championship, adding that "there's no reason for us not to." He also noted that his philosophy is "Make no excuses. Blame no one. And do something."

All told, Taggart earned the opportunity to take over a top-flight program based on his track record during the first two head coaching stops of his career. The question is whether that will translate to results against fierce Power Five conference competition both on the field and on the recruiting trail.