Oregon to hire USF’s Taggart as new coach

Oregon has hired Willie Taggart, who spent the past four seasons as head coach at South Florida, to take over the Ducks following the dismissal of Mark Helfrich.

Oregon formally announced Taggart’s appointment Wednesday.

Taggart has led USF to an 18-7 record over the past two seasons, including 10-2 this year. He spent three seasons as coach of Western Kentucky, his alma mater, and was an assistant coach at Stanford under Jim Harbaugh.

Oregon fired Helfrich last week after the Ducks went 4-8. A news conference to formally introduce Taggart was set for today.

“Oregon has a strong national presence and a proud recent history of playing among the nation’s elite, and I look forward to the challenge of upholding the excellence,” Taggart said in a statement. “I can’t wait to get started.”

Taggart, 40, is the first coach Oregon has hired from outside the program since 1976. The Ducks’ previous three coaches, Mike Bellotti, Chip Kelly and Helfrich, were all Oregon assistants who were promoted.

Taggart also will be the first African-American head football coach at Oregon. The length and terms of his contract with the Ducks were not immediately released.

Taggart was 16-20 at Western Kentucky, taking over when it was transitioning to FBS. He went 7-5 in his last two seasons with the Hilltoppers and then moved to USF, not far from where he grew up in Bradenton, Fla.

It took two seasons and a change in offensive philosophy from more pro-style, West Coast schemes to a spread, but he now has the Bulls rolling. They finished second in the American Athletic Conference East Division to Temple and will play South Carolina on Dec. 29 in the Birmingham Bowl.

Co-offensive coordinator T.J. Weist will lead South Florida in the bowl game.

Stanford: After gaining more than 6,000 yards the past two seasons, setting an NCAA record and finishing as the runner-up last year in the Heisman Trophy balloting, Christian McCaffrey announced Wednesday he will skip his senior season at Stanford and enter the NFL draft. “I’m ready,” he said. McCaffrey said he made the announcement now so the decision wouldn’t overshadow Stanford’s upcoming Sun Bowl appearance against North Carolina on Dec. 30. Despite his prolific numbers in college headlined by breaking Barry Sanders’ record for all-purpose yards in a season with 3,864 yards in 2015, some doubters have questioned whether the 6-foot, 200-pound McCaffrey can handle the rigors of the NFL as a featured back.

Alabama: Quarterback David Cornwell says he is transferring. The redshirt sophomore announced his decision Wednesday in a Twitter post. Redshirt freshman Blake Barnett left the program early in the season after freshman Jalen Hurts won the starting job.