Oregon reaches out to Willie Taggart

[charsibb]

26 minutes ago, NewEnglandBull said:

Well said Brad. But I do think at the end of the day all coaches are expendable. We want to fire someone after two losing seasons and they want to leave for greener pastures after the same amount of time. Thus, I think the environment/culture of college football today has decreased the loyalty you are seeking in a coach. Not saying it is impossible to find what you are looking for but it would be extremely difficult in my opinion. 

 

We could get around that be choosing to compete at a lower level - for example, returning to FCS...

[BrowardBull17]

44 minutes ago, Brad said:

If money overwhelms loyalty in this case, I'll be glad he's gone.  USF needs a guy that believes he can take this program to new heights.  It needs a head coach to believe in USF as much as he will ask players and recruits to believe.  His leaving would be a sleight to every single player he has recruited to U of South Florida.  If he leaves, his enticements and vision would have been only to serve his own needs.  This school believed in him and gave him a hand up from WKU.  Players believed in him.  He and Harlan should talk this through to determine what makes the most sense.  Sure, we were spoiled to have a coach that would have made USF Football his life's work.  Now we know how rare that can be.  If Willie isn't about USF Football, if he is not #Allin and #OntheBus himself, then we need to #DoSomething and find someone that wants to be here and being a millionaire is enough.

You are delusional if you think any coach stays at USF that could get a job at Oregon. Loyalty? Lol.  

[NewEnglandBull]

8 minutes ago, charsibb said:

 

We could get around that be choosing to compete at a lower level - for example, returning to FCS...

I guess that is an option but that ship sailed 20 years when the program started. Even before a team had been fielded, USF said the 1aa stop was only for a few years. I think based on the size of the school and the hunger of USF graduates (at the time), we all wanted FBS football. Looking back, perhaps we should have never got into the BE, or achieved #2 status as both really spoiled the fan base. We all (including myself) want winning now. 

[usfgrad84]

14 minutes ago, Brad said:

If money overwhelms loyalty in this case, I'll be glad he's gone.  USF needs a guy that believes he can take this program to new heights.  It needs a head coach to believe in USF as much as he will ask players and recruits to believe.  His leaving would be a sleight to every single player he has recruited to U of South Florida.  If he leaves, his enticements and vision would have been only to serve his own needs.  This school believed in him and gave him a hand up from WKU.  Players believed in him.  He and Harlan should talk this through to determine what makes the most sense.  Sure, we were spoiled to have a coach that would have made USF Football his life's work.  Now we know how rare that can be.  If Willie isn't about USF Football, if he is not #Allin and #OntheBus himself, then we need to #DoSomething and find someone that wants to be here and being a millionaire is enough.

I am with you on this one Brad. 

I can't say I wouldn't understand if Taggart left for the Oregon job, but. I think my view of him would change a bit. I am all for bettering one's self and family.  You always have to remember when it comes down to it, this is just a job to these guys. 

On the other hand, I do feel some loyalty is owed to Harlan and USF. Those first couple of years and first four games last year were not just bad. They were abysmal and unwatchable. I am sure just the fact that Harlan brought him back in year 3 was difficult. I have to imagine that up until the Syracuse game Harlan was getting inundated with pressure from all sides to make a change. In my book that kind of loyalty deserves something back. 

I also feel that he owes the kids in his first recruiting class the chance to finish the mission he sold them on. Didn't we hear the story of how he talked Flowers out of transferring?  

If offered a job like Oregon, it becomes a really difficult decision. 

Here, he is home and can probably make good money for the long haul. At a place like Oregon high risk, high reward. Make some money with the big opportunity for a few years. Also, plenty of stories where if you fail its a long time before you get that 2nd chance at a big job. Yes, there is always a coordinator job like Shannon or see where Strong ends up. It took Rodriguez a few years to get another shot a better program, but he can't even set foot in his home state again. 

It is a tough decision, if offered.  Either way he we will be fine and he will too.

Personally, I would like to see him come back and finish the mission of at least winning the conference next year. I think it is there for the taking next year and with an improved defense we have a chance at being in the playoff conversation  just not sure our strength of schedule will allow it. 

 

[USF_Grouper]

1 hour ago, Brad said:

If money overwhelms loyalty in this case, I'll be glad he's gone.  USF needs a guy that believes he can take this program to new heights.  It needs a head coach to believe in USF as much as he will ask players and recruits to believe.  His leaving would be a sleight to every single player he has recruited to U of South Florida.  If he leaves, his enticements and vision would have been only to serve his own needs.  This school believed in him and gave him a hand up from WKU.  Players believed in him.  He and Harlan should talk this through to determine what makes the most sense.  Sure, we were spoiled to have a coach that would have made USF Football his life's work.  Now we know how rare that can be.  If Willie isn't about USF Football, if he is not #Allin and #OntheBus himself, then we need to #DoSomething and find someone that wants to be here and being a millionaire is enough.

We hired him away from WKU when all those same things could have been said - heck it was his alma mater! If he thinks there is a bigger opportunity for him he should take it - just like each and everyone of us should in our professional lives. There is something special about taking a program from its beginnings into a power house as Bobby Bowden has done - but that isn't for everyone or even most people.

When we fired Jim Leavitt the one thing that I was most saddened by is that he was very likely the only coach we would ever be able to hire that wouldn't see USF as his next step into the big time. Our AD almost certainly views his role as that. If willie is offered and takes the Oregon gig so will the next head coach.

[Brad]

1 hour ago, DELdaBull said:

This right here is disingenuous. Oregon is the type of school that can say the same thing about us.  They would show they believed in him and gave him a hand up from USF.

Thanks for calling me out on that last sentence.  The rest, however, is true.

[Brad]

41 minutes ago, BrowardBull17 said:

You are delusional if you think any coach stays at USF that could get a job at Oregon. Loyalty? Lol.  

I probably am delusional.  But I hear that the ASU and U of A coach out here have significant, multi-year buyouts to the tune to $14-20 million.  Ours is $1.7 mil, declining each year of his 4 year contract.  Yes, they make 1.5-3 times as much, but they are locked in.  We need to fix that. 

All I am saying is get someone passionate about being here.  Find someone who is motivated by their accomplishments more than money.  CWT isn't going to Oregon.  But it will help him negotiate at USF.  I am with smazza, I guess, we need to sell someone on what the opportunity is.  USF is still the sleeping giant, right?  Willie has pocketed what, $5+ million, and is only now approaching a .500 record?  Shouldn't there be more to do?  Isn't he living pretty good, still?

I was loyal to the basketball team I coached for 10 years.  I guess I didn't have money to corrupt me.  

We were spoiled by a guy that wanted to spend his life building the football program.  Would have been a nice tone to set.  We destroyed that.  I guess I have to get over it.

If we're just a stepping stone with coaching turnovers every 2-4 years, get comfortable being a CFB afterthought.

[bullsbucsfan426]

1 hour ago, Brad said:

I probably am delusional.  But I hear that the ASU and U of A coach out here have significant, multi-year buyouts to the tune to $14-20 million.  Ours is $1.7 mil, declining each year of his 4 year contract.  Yes, they make 1.5-3 times as much, but they are locked in.  We need to fix that. 

All I am saying is get someone passionate about being here.  Find someone who is motivated by their accomplishments more than money.  CWT isn't going to Oregon.  But it will help him negotiate at USF.  I am with smazza, I guess, we need to sell someone on what the opportunity is.  USF is still the sleeping giant, right?  Willie has pocketed what, $5+ million, and is only now approaching a .500 record?  Shouldn't there be more to do?  Isn't he living pretty good, still?

I was loyal to the basketball team I coached for 10 years.  I guess I didn't have money to corrupt me.  

We were spoiled by a guy that wanted to spend his life building the football program.  Would have been a nice tone to set.  We destroyed that.  I guess I have to get over it.

If we're just a stepping stone with coaching turnovers every 2-4 years, get comfortable being a CFB afterthought.

Look Brad, I hear you, but we WERE spoiled. We got rid of the guy who wanted to be our Bowden or Paterno and had a pretty good chance at becoming that. 

And sure, we're only just approaching that .500 record-because the prior coach left such an abysmal pile of junk for CWT to fix. In fairness, Taggart could have gone to the read option spread in year two. You have a year of guys in the S&C program, you have a guy who can run it relatively effectively with Steven Bench, and you have a few offensive pieces at that point (Mack, Andre Davis, Willie Davis, etc.). Maybe you're right. But if you don't think coaches aren't motivated by money, especially in this business, I have a bridge to sell you in Brooklyn. We all know it-how many times did Leavitt complain that his assistant pool wasn't enough (it probably wasn't)? He accepted pay raises immediately. And Leavitt would have continued to push for the things he wanted to make us a power football program, except his bosses (Judy and Doug) didn't agree. 

We're going to be turning over coaches plenty unless we end up in a power conference again. And NO program is immune in the G5. The boosters at Houston did everything they could to get Tom Herman to stay, but he wasn't going to stay at Houston when Texas was willing to give him a 40 percent pay raise just to come there. And Tom Herman most likely will be at Texas a very long time. The P5 ship has sailed for the foreseeable future, so if we want to take steps forward, we need to make our fundraising equivalent to at least a mid-level P5 program. 

[Azmodi]

Sigh! Is Les Miles still available?

 

He's already been a winner in the SEC and won a NC. So, he has nothing left to prove. He could however, raise USF up to win a NC and that would be a "HUGE" middle finger to those whom claimed he lost his stuff and fired him.

 

Just a thought.

Edited December 4, 2016 by Azmodi

[slick1ru2]

"Who's got it better than us"?, Oregon apparently. Or any P5 school who comes calling.