Oregon Commits, Targets Sound Off On Coaching Hire of Willie Taggart

When news got out Wednesday that Willie Taggart had been hired as the head coach at Oregon, positive vibes flowed throughout Oregon recruiting. Commits expressed their praise, and key targets gave their opinions that Taggart was the right choice.

Taggart's reputation precedes him. Commits and recruits are well aware of how he transforms programs on the decline into bowl contenders. Look at what he did at Western Kentucky and, most recently, South Florida.

Winless in 2009 before Taggart, Western Kentucky with him finished 7-5 seasons in 2011 and 2012 and earned a Little Caesars Bowl berth in 2012. South Florida won three games in 2012 before Taggart's arrival, and he turned the program into one that recorded a school-record 10 wins and will play South Carolina in the Birmingham Bowl on Dec. 29.

"I know he's a great coach and an unbelievable recruiter," said offensive tackle Alex Forsyth, who's been committed to Oregon since June 11. "I'm very excited to see what the future holds."

Taggart's 2017 recruiting class at South Florida included athlete Bruce Judson, cornerback Nick Roberts, offensive tackle Jean Marcellus and wide receiver Daewood Davis, among others. These are four athletes who have been heavily recruited and chose the Bulls over Power Five offers.

Taggart's recruiting ability will be a huge asset for Oregon, which currently has 12 commits and has lost three pledges with the firing of coach Mark Helfrich last week in the 4-star duo of cornerback Deommodore Lenoir and defensive end Langi Tuifua and junior college offensive tackle John Vaka.

The immediate recruiting goal will be getting those commits back—and adding a few others.

Andrew Nemec, who covers Oregon recruiting for the Oregonian, reminded all about Taggart's coaching resume, as he began as an assistant at Western Kentucky under Jack Harbaugh, father of Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh and Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh.

"Jack Harbaugh called Taggart the best recruiter he's ever worked with," Nemec said. "Given the success surrounding the Harbaugh football family, it's hard to argue with them. Taggart may not have the same West Coast connections as a few of the also-rans in the Oregon coaching search, but he's a dynamic recruiter."

One of Taggart's success stories in recruiting was quarterback Quinton Flowers, the American Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year and a Walter Camp Award semifinalist. Flowers was a 4-star quarterback in the 2014 class. The quarterback was a player USA Today featured last month as the "best college football player you don't know about."

Combine his coaching with his recruiting, and Taggart makes for an intriguing option with the Ducks.

"I'm excited about [Taggart]," Oregon defensive tackle pledge Rutger Reitmaier said. "I think he's a great fit for the job, and I am looking forward to playing for him."

Coveted cornerback Thomas Graham, who has Oregon high on his list of final schools, added: "He's young, and every program he's been at has changed to a winning program."

One of Taggart's first responsibilities will be reaching out to the committed players and then contacting some of the most wanted targets. Two athletes to keep an eye on are defensive tackle Popo Aumavae, who committed to Oregon two weeks before Helfrich was fired, and safety Chaz Ah You, who has Oregon as a school on his list.

Aumavae is committed to the Ducks but told Bleacher Report he still plans on taking official visits to UCLA and Michigan "sometime in January." For now, he said he is Oregon strong.

"So far, everyone has told me nothing but great things about him," Aumavae said of Taggart. "I'm excited to meet my new head coach."

As for Ah You, he said he would like to get to know Taggart before grading where Oregon is in his recruitment. Ah You has offers from a handful of Pac-12 schools, Notre Dame, BYU and others.

"I'm not too familiar with Coach Taggart, but I'm sure he will come in and do big things for Oregon," Ah You said. "Things will change a lot, I'm sure, at Oregon, so it will be cool what happens there."

Look for Taggart to immediately get to work—as there is a lot of work to do at Oregon after a 4-8 season, the first losing season since 2004. If history repeats itself, Oregon could be in the same turnaround stages as Western Kentucky and South Florida once were.

"Taggart won't be able to live off his Florida connections and may have to lean on assistants early to connect with the West Coast, but he's had success on and off the field at smaller programs," Nemec said. "It'll be interesting to see what he can do as a recruiter with the toys and big-program backing he'll inherit at Oregon."

Damon Sayles is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. All quotes were obtained firsthand. All player ratings are courtesy of Scout.com. Follow Damon via Twitter: @DamonSayles