From..drum roll...Florida.

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Being reported down here and beginning to leak onto twitter.

If this happens, it could open the door to some opportunities that would make duck fans happy.

Finally, somebody who doesn't make excuses. We can and will compete with the OTHER big boys in college football.

School district is closed due to icy roads. We live on top of a hill and our road is a sheet of ice.

Our friends at Campus Insiders take a look at the hire and like what they see.

Taggart: Good hire

Coach Harbaugh ‏@CoachJim4UM 28m28 minutes ago
From the newest Duck fan, Congrats to @CoachTaggart & The U of Oregon! From Manatee to Eugene, I've always been your fan! Happy for you!

Oregon Commit, hurdler Joesph King, is tweeting Jasmin Reed, and Jasmin has started following the Oregon women's basketball team, and the Oregon Track Club Elite. I don't see her following any other college basketball teams...or any other track organizations. This has to be a good sign. As you might recall Jasmin is also Thomas Graham's girl friend....he's taking a good look at Notre Dame.

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So with Wallace and Franklin out the door, how many spots we got? Sorry if answered elsewhere, but those two not insignificant players were news to me.

So....wonder who's gonna be the hot coach 3 years from now.

They only have one 4-start guy listed as an athlete.

I know its bad form but some like to follow the coach. Curious if anyone has heard anything.

Bruce Judsen Jr:
"We texted this morning and he told me I was still his guy," Judson said. "He said we're going to talk but he's just got a lot going on right now. My goal is to get me, Demetri and Emare there [to Oregon].

"But I'm just really staying focused for tomorrow's game right now. I'll deal with all the rest of that stuff on Friday."

https://www.google.com/amp/www.orla...-future-20161207-story,amp.html?client=safari

I started a poll on twitter. Interesting results which at this point verify my belief that Oregon has a lot of marketing to do with the fan base to generate excitement for the hire.

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Although Kelly signed a four-year contract in January, rumors have swirled over the past month or more that he might return to the University of Oregon, where he coached before leaving for the NFL and the Philadelphia Eagles in 2013. Kelly said he never discussed a potential return to an Oregon job that instead went Wednesday to Willie Taggart, who’s left the University of South Florida and has close ties with former 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh, Taggart’s best man when he got married.

“With all those questions, and hopefully this is the end of it for me, I will never leave my job for another job while the season is going on,” Kelly said. “I don’t think that’s fair. I didn’t do it while in college. I never talked to anybody in the National Football League until after our bowl game was over. In the NFL, they have a great rule: you’re not allowed to leave your job, if your in the playoffs, you can’t go until your season is done. It’s tough with the cycle that goes on in college.

“When I’ve said I’m not going to go back to college, there’s never going to be an opportunity for me to go back to college, because I have a job.”

Kelly asked reporters if any NFL coach has ever left during a season to coach in college, and when told of Bobby Petrino’s desertion from the Atlanta Falcons during the 2007 season with a 3-10 record, Kelly asked for other examples.

“I will not leave a team with three games to go because I got a bigger and better deal somewhere, because that’s not the way I’m wired and that’s not what I would ever do,” Kelly said. “I could never look (49ers veterans) Antoine Bethea or Joe Staley in the face again, and talk to them about commitment, and then if I was the guy that had a job offer that I thought that was better than the one I had, and I took off with three games to go, that’s just not the way I’m wired. Some guys do it. I would never do it.”

Were he offered the Oregon job?

“Nope,” Kelly responded. “Everybody knows, if you want to contact me, there is no contact. I’m not talking to anybody about another job. I have a job. That’s one thing I did learn from my dad: they made a commitment to me, and I made a commitment to them, and I’m not searching around looking for another job when I have a job. I have a job to take care of.”

Full story: The Mercury News

They headlined this, but I don't subscribe and have no idea of the accuracy

- So, the decision is made to much consternation by many so here are my thoughts today:

- Coaching changes do not happen in a bubble. Other than about 4 names, no one was going to get the Oregon job without a second interview. It is in this second interview where substance begins to really be understood. Vision, culture, concepts, potential assistants, all of those things that are part of a formal plan get discussed after the initial conversations

- The reason for this change, regardless of what we all think, was not because the defense was bad; it was about the culture. There were systemic problems alluded to often; things which could not be overcome simply by firing a few defensive coaches and moving on.

- The results were not equivalent to the talent on the roster. Mark Helfrich had one of the most significant statistical metrics drops in recent times (Dave Bartoo).

- This was never about a single bad season. It was about a trend, and a cultural malaise that had become too much for a defensive coordinator to overcome.

- Recruiting losses in the short term should never be a consideration. So, maybe Oregon loses 2018 commit Colson Yankoff. But they might have anyway. What if, in the process, they get Tua? Is that a good trade? Many think it would be

- I am not convinced Matt Rhule had a true formal offer to be the next head coach. I think the Ducks were very interested, but I also think Rhule wanted to go to Baylor for multiple reasons; was one of them recruiting in a more friendly area? Sure. But do not consider it an 'excuse' if someone of deep faith wants to work at a faith based school with significant issues that need addressed. CFall it a mission, that is what Matt Rhule was on

- Chip Kelly. Never bought into this 'It's Chip' nonsense. Chip was offered the job, and he declined. After he declined, he did not pull a 'oh, maybe, keep it on hold' He wants to turn it around in SF and will never say "Yeah, I can't do this. Goin' back to Oregon' he will never admit failure. He may get fired, but will never concede

- Fleck. I think he got more than what Canzano says. He got more than a token 'listen' on Monday. What happened was simply this: Oregon was very high on him but there were some issues. 1) He wants to coach in the Cotton Bowl. Oregon needs a head coach now. 2) He had not done a lot of in-depth look at where Oregon is and what the vision moving forward should be. His plans were not solid. This is why the 'style over substance' stuff started to float about.

- Was Taggart the #1 guy? No. That was tom Herman. So, I think I am goign to change the South Park song "Blame Canada" to "Blame Kansas" if Texas wins that game, plays in a bowl game, Charlie Strong is not fired. Early rumors about Fisher and LSU would have likely driven Herman right to Oregon. Kansas won, and the rest is history.

- So where int eh pecking order was Taggart? Hard to say. He was above Harsin. He was above Schiano. But we do not know who all else was interviewed. I think the Ducks would have taken McElwain, but he was not really leaving.

- After conducting close to a dozen formal and informal interviews, the Ducks brass kept coming back to Taggart. His vision was better, his plan better and his energy better..

- This is why you actually conduct interviews rather than go off of fan lists. Sometimes a guy looks great on paper, but his vision, strategy, goals, all those things that make a program successful are more evident in one person versus another. Taggart is an upgrade and a culture change was needed.

Over the next few days we will start looking at staff changes and potential options. All for now

I certainly think it's possible. Here is the latest.

Lenoir re-flip?

So far so good on the recruit feedback.

Hot takes: Recruits react to Taggart

EUGENE, Ore. — Willie Taggart, one of college coaching's brightest offensive minds and a proven winner, will be introduced as Oregon's next head football coach at a press conference Thursday morning in the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex.

Taggart, 40, coached South Florida to a school-record 10-2 regular-season mark this fall, three years after the Bulls went 2-10. He will be the 33rd head coach in UO football history, and will have the distinction of being the football program's first African-American head coach.

"We are thrilled to welcome Willie, his wife, Taneshia, their sons, Willie Jr. and Jackson, and their daughter, Morgan," UO athletic director Rob Mullens said. "Willie places an emphasis on ensuring a positive student-athlete experience and on winning, and his previous stops have proven his success at both. We have a very bright future under his leadership."

Mullens will introduce Taggart at a press conference Thursday in the main theater of the HDC at 11 a.m. The event will be streamed live on Facebook and Twitter via the GoDucks accounts.

"I am grateful for the trust that President Schill and Rob Mullens have put in me to be the next head coach of the Oregon football program, and I thank them for the opportunity," Taggart said. "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. I can't wait to get started."

"I want to congratulate Willie Taggart on becoming the University of Oregon's next head football coach, and welcome him and his family to the flock," UO president and professor of law Michael H. Schill said. "I am confident that Coach Taggart fits with the UO's values and culture of excellence as it relates to supporting our student-athletes' personal growth and success both on and off the playing field.

"I also want to recognize athletic director Rob Mullens for his hard work and dedication over the last few weeks. He did not have an easy task, but he's delivered a wonderful outcome and hired a great coach. Welcome Coach Taggart, and go Ducks!"

A 1998 graduate of Western Kentucky, Taggart began his coaching career as an assistant with his alma mater from 1999-2006. He then spent three seasons as an assistant to Jim Harbaugh at Stanford from 2007-09, coaching running backs and helping Toby Gerhart win the 2009 Doak Walker Award.

Taggart returned to Western Kentucky as head coach in 2010, taking over a program that had lost 20 straight games and leading the Hilltoppers to their first bowl bid in 2012. Taggart then took over at South Florida and has the Bulls in their second straight bowl game this fall.

With Taggart calling plays in the "Gulf Coast Offense," South Florida finished the regular season seventh nationally in scoring offense (43.6) and fifth in yards per play (7.29). The Bulls also boast the nation's fifth-best rushing offense at 291.75 yards per game, and they have 29 explosion plays of 40 yards or more, third-most in the FBS.

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/pearl-harbor-bombed

Perspective. Today we're biting our nails about a coaching search but 75 years ago the greatest generation woke up to this news of war. Ultimately, we lost 400,000 American lives in World War II. Thus, December 7th truly is a date that lives in infamy. Thank a service member today and spend a few moments remembering the sacrifice that generation made to defend freedom.

I think there is a distinct possibility he can hang onto the class and even bring Deommodore Lenoir back. Perhaps even save Tre McKitty. So recruiting-wise, I think this will be a good thing not just this year but going forward.

The part that hurts recruiting this year is simply the time it took for the search during a rapidly closing contact period. That is on the AD though I'm not sure what he could have done differently.

http://www.espn.com/college-footbal...ucks-hire-usf-bulls-willie-taggart-next-coach

Wow. Very, very disappointed. Talk about a huge uninspiring hire.

Hope he proves he can bring Oregon back to being elite, because I do not believe he can or will.

Ugh. I will still support him though, hopefully he can prove his worth by hiring top notch coaches.. and especially a DC worth a damn.

It's interesting what they're saying in south Florida.

http://www.tampabay.com/sports/coll...art-for-oregon-hears-it-from-usf-fans/2305368

I'm all in on Taggart....after having been all in on Fleck, Chip and Rhule. Hell, guys, I'm a goddam Duck. But there's something about this Taggart guy that gets me revved up. All he seems to need is a defense. And if he can't raid Shaw or enlist any young Turk with defensive murder on his mind, I'll chew on last night's round steak until it's a tenderloin.

When Tony Dungy says Oregon is one of those places where you can win the National Championship...yes he said that....all you Ducks on the floor better rise and take notice.

Give me Taggart as the HC, Kendall Briles as the OC, and Schiano as the DC. I would take that line up.