5 Best Head Coaching Changes Entering 2017

3. Willie Taggart, Oregon

Willie Taggart is the Oregon Ducks head coach after spending the past four seasons at South Florida. As the Bulls head coach, Taggart went 24-25 with his 2016 season being the best in school history. The South Florida Bulls went 10-2, winning their final five games to finish the season. It was the most wins by a team in school history.

Oregon went 4-8 overall and 2-7 in the Pac-12 in 2016 under former head coach Mark Helfrich. Taggart will have big shoes to fill but with his fast-paced offense, fans should be in for a treat. The Bulls offense was fourth in the FBS last season in scoring offense with 43.8 points per game. He led South Florida to two bowl appearances as well.

2017 Outlook: Recruiting and Scheduling

On paper, Taggart is the perfect fit for the Ducks’ style of play. Recruiting wise, he’s brought in Mario Cristobal, a highly-rated recruiter and assistant from Alabama, to shore up their recruiting woes. The Ducks currently have 15 commitments in this year’s class. They already have a lot of defensive help coming in with two 4-star defensive backs and two 3-star defensive tackles. But Taggart and company will need to get better on the offensive side of the ball next season and beyond to get back to Pac-12 dominance.

The Oregon Ducks’ 2017 schedule isn’t too difficult out-of-conference next season for Taggart, which should bode well. They open the season against Southern Utah on September 2, then play Nebraska on September 9, and on the road at Wyoming on September 16.

Conference play is a lot more challenging than it was a few seasons ago. The Ducks got just two wins in 2016. 2017 should bring more challenges with Washington, USC, Colorado, and Washington State all returning a lot of talent.