Taggart leaving Oregon to be next Florida St. coach
TALLAHASSEE, FLA. » Willie Taggart is returning to the Sunshine State, this time as head football coach at Florida State.
Taggart has agreed to become Florida State’s next coach, replacing Jimbo Fisher. Taggart told his Oregon players during a team meeting on Tuesday that he is leaving.
Florida State has called a news conference for Wednesday morning to introduce Taggart.
The 41-year old Bradenton native coached at South Florida for four seasons before going to Oregon. Fisher resigned Friday to accept the opening at Texas A&M.
Taggart has a 47-50 career record, including 7-5 this season, but is known as a rebuilder. He arrived in Eugene after four years at South Florida, where he guided the Bulls from a 2-10 record his first year to a 10-2 mark last year and a spot in the Birmingham Bowl.
Before that he spent three seasons as head coach at his alma mater, Western Kentucky, inheriting a winless program that he turned around with back-to-back winning seasons.
The Seminoles have entered new territory following Fisher’s departure.
Taggart, and Odell Haggins — Fisher’s replacement on an interim basis — are the first black head football coaches at Florida State. Haggins will hold the position for two games before turning over the reins to Taggart.
Haggins led the Seminoles (6-6) to a 4210 win over Louisiana-Monroe in Saturday’s regular-season finale. He will coach the Seminoles in the Dec. 27 Independence Bowl against Southern Mississippi.
Taggart will be tasked with restoring a Florida State program that has failed to live up to expectations the last two seasons.
Since winning 33 of 34 games between 2013 and ‘15, including a national championship, The Seminoles are 20-12, including 10-10 in the ACC.
UCF tabs Heupel as coach
ORLANDO, FLA. » UCF didn’t take long to hire someone to lead its rejuvenated program.
The university announced Tuesday that Josh Heupel will be the Knights’ next football coach. The move comes about 72 hours after Scott Frost announced Saturday he was leaving UCF to become the coach at Nebraska.
“Coach Frost did an outstanding job,” Heupel said Tuesday at his introductory news conference. “My job to continue to develop those relationships and continuity. I look forward to that. We need to play smart football but we also have to be physical.”
Heupel, who has been the offensive coordinator at Missouri the past two seasons, inherits a Knights program that just finished 12-0 to win the American Athletic Conference title. The Knights will play Auburn in the Chick-filA Peach Bowl in Atlanta on Jan. 1.
He will not coach the Knights in the bowl game, but will watch in from a booth at Mercedes-Benz stadium. UCF is working on logistics that would allow Frost to coach that game.
Heupel said he was able to catch “bits and pieces” of UCF’s play this season.
“There are special players coming back when you look at the roster. For the most part the nucleus on both sides of the ball are coming back,” Heupel said.
Oklahoma back Anderson accused of sexual assault
OKLAHOMA CITY » A woman who filed a petition for a protective order against Oklahoma running back Rodney Anderson is accusing him of sexually assaulting her in her apartment and says she fears for her safety.
The petition filed against Anderson on Monday alleges the Sooners’ rushing leader forced himself on the woman last month and that she remembers “feeling like (she) couldn’t get away.”
Anderson’s attorney said in a statement Tuesday that the allegations are “patently false” and that Anderson is “shocked and disturbed” by them.
“Mr. Anderson did not, nor would he ever, force himself on any woman,” according to the statement released by attorney Derek Chance of Oklahoma City. A hearing on the protective order is scheduled for Dec. 18.