Oregon’s Taggart heading to FSU
Willie to the Taggart is returning Sunshine State.
Taggart 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 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.
• Florida State safety Derwin James declared for the NFL draft and said he would not play in the Seminoles’ bowl game.
ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. lists James as the No. 3 overall prospect on his draft board.
UCF tabs Heupel to lead.
FLA.» UCF didn’t take long to hire someone to lead its rejuvenated program.
The university announced Josh Heupel will be the Knights’ next coach. The move comes after Scott Frost announced Saturday he was leaving UCF to become the coach at Nebraska.
Heupel has been the offensive coordinator at Missouri the past two seasons and inherits a Knights program that just finished 12-0 to win the American Athletic Conference title. The Knights will play Auburn in the 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.
OU’s Anderson accused.
A woman OKLAHOMA 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 said she fears for her safety.
The petition filed against Anderson 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.
Footnotes.
SMU’s Chad Morris has emerged as the top candidate to replace Bret Bielema at Arkansas. … Georgia defensive coordinator Mel Tucker is scheduled to interview for Tennessee’s coaching job. In addition, Tee Martin spoke with Tennessee athletic director Phillip Fulmer.