The Mark Helfrich era came to an abrupt end at the conclusion of the 2016 season. Athletic Director Rob Mullens quickly turned around and hired a young up-and-coming head coach from the University of South Florida, Willie Taggart. Taggart had an overall losing record prior to coming to Eugene, but that was less important than the signs of program improvement. ...

How Should Duck Fans remember Willie Taggart

I remember him as a liar.

33 minutes ago, PittDuck said:

I remember him as a liar.

I will give him credit for raising the recruiting ceiling at Oregon, as he proved it could be done. Just before he left, we had the No. 3 class in the nation, and Oregon had never done that before.

Many recruits dropped off when he left, but Cristobal did do a good job of retaining most of that class for that year.

44 minutes ago, PittDuck said:

I remember him as a liar.

Yeah that's fair.

He was only at Oregon for a year but his legacy is a complicated one.

Next up in this little series is Cristobal who also has an interesting legacy at Oregon. But that one might have to wait till the Spring because the season is fast approaching!

Well my smart-aleck answer is not at all.

As mentioned above, he did serve as the catalyst for better recruiting, but there’s a lot of possible cart before horse even with that. He was the first “outsider” coach in decades, it’s possible that any decent recruiting “outsider” could have elevated recruiting, we’ll never know.

Edited Wednesday at 03:53 PM4 days by JabbaNoBargain

Great topic. I agree that the biggest issues the 2016 team had were terrible defensive game planning and too much reliance on the young Ducks. A decent DC and the youth maturing into their roles would have brought about a 7-5 or better record in 2017 whoever was the coach. The Ducks old school coaches were great for their time but the modern recruiting era was leaving them behind and a youth movement in the coaching staff would have been required at some point.

In the end I think Taggart proved himself to be all smoke and no substance with serious character issues that make him a poor candidate for any major head coaching position. His post Duck history has only confirmed this perspective. It was a bumpy journey down an unforged trail but moving from Helfrich to Lanning will be one of the most significant coaching improvements in OBD history. Can't wait for the story to continue in just a few more weeks!

Any time I read his name I feel like I need to go wash my hands. I feel that Duck fans were amused that the self promoter fell flat on his face at his dream school.

Be careful what you wish for…

Terrific article. Terrible Hire!

Mullens was not looking like an AD guru with the promotion of a terrific OC but over-his-head HC in Mark Helfrich, and the hiring of a lower-level football coach with an overall losing record. Fortunately, an AD who is no longer with the Seminoles brought Willie back to the Sunshine State, where Willie flamed out before an unsuccessful return to the little leagues.

I'm looking forward to your article on the next coach Mullens hired, another individual who danced around the truth and was in the process of destroying the Oregon brand before folks with far more money than sense stepped in and brought Mari-Oh-Oh home. A Heisman-winning record-setting QB and no playoff soup for MIA. Nice return on investment.

Let's see if the 4 Million Dollar QB can do better. The new QB will be comforted by having a $2M O lineman who has yet to play a down of college football on the bench. 🤮

I love Jabba's comment regarding Willie's recruiting prowess. Willie didn't have all that much to live up to.

Thanks again for the terrific read. The view through the windshield looks much better than the view from the rearview mirror.😎

1 hour ago, JabbaNoBargain said:

Well my smart-aleck answer is not at all.

As mentioned above, he did serve as the catalyst for better recruiting, but there’s a lot of possible cart before horse even with that. He was the first “outsider” coach in decades, it’s possible that any decent recruiting “outsider” could have elevated recruiting, we’ll never know.

Well we kinda do have the answer to that... Mario Cristobal.

Taggart's sole class was a hybrid class of Helfrich and himself.

Cristobal had a hybrid Taggart-Cristobal class but after that he landed a few top ten classes.

A change in the recruiting mindset was needed and Taggart could do it but Cristobal actually did it at Oregon before Lanning arrived who elevated to a whole new level.

1 hour ago, Drake said:

Be careful what you wish for…

I dunno...I wouldn't mind 17 million to go away, as he got from Florida State.

But for me...?

30 minutes ago, Jon Joseph said:

Fortunately, an AD who is no longer with the Seminoles brought Willie back to the Sunshine State, where Willie flamed out before an unsuccessful return to the little leagues.

In both cases of Taggart and Cristobal when they left they helped Oregon in more ways than one. Leaving so Oregon could move on to a better hire AND giving the Ducks a nice bit of pocket money to invest in the next hire.

Had to go dig this one up...

https://fishduck.com/2021/12/lets-be-thankful-for-the-coaches-who-have-left-oregon/

I almost forgot I wrote it but it is supplemental to this article.

The fake smile in the news conference where he told the media he wasn't going anywhere...

And he left the next day.

Not mentioned in this thread yet.... Oregon football players being hospitalized with rhabdomyolysis under Taggart’s watch.

I do credit Taggart with demonstrating that Oregon could recruit effectively beyond the West Coast.

Something I've always pondered was "what if Nick Alliotti were promoted to HC instead of Helfrich?".

Ah Ol' Slick!

Quite possibly the only thing better than watching him get fired at FSU was watching him get fired at Florida Atlantic. Nothing breaks a locker room quicker than mistrust coming from the highest position. Had he at least hinted at the possibility of speaking with other teams it might've been different. Popular? No, but different. However, his notorious private jet flight to Florida for "recruiting purposes" only to meet with, and be offered the job by the 'Noles, will forever leave a taste of sour Lochmead milk in my mouth.

How should he be remembered? Rob Mullens should be thankful to the FSU boosters for the influx of cash and for being shown it is possible to recruit nationwide to Oregon (hey Scott Frost).

1 hour ago, Jon Joseph said:

Mullens was not looking like an AD guru with the promotion of a terrific OC but over-his-head HC in Mark Helfrich, and the hiring of a lower-level football coach with an overall losing record.

He didn't redeem himself with the Lanning hire. He tried to fumble that one too, but an old Duck alum came to his rescue when he turned down the Oregon job to stay at Cal.

Willie Taggart was a rung on a ladder that helped Oregon climb out of the hole that Helfrich dug. He recruited a decent class and hired Mario Cristobal who replaced him and became a higher rung on the ladder. The final rung on the ladder was Josh Wilcox. Had he accepted the job, OBD would have had consistent 3 and 4 loss seasons and would probably be in the Big 12 at this point.

1 hour ago, kirklandduck said:

Something I've always pondered was "what if Nick Alliotti were promoted to HC instead of Helfrich?".

I'll add that what if scenario to my off season writing list next spring! That is something interesting to ponder.

36 minutes ago, DrJacksPlaidPants said:

The final rung on the ladder was Josh Wilcox. Had he accepted the job, OBD would have had consistent 3 and 4 loss seasons and would probably be in the Big 12 at this point.

Interesting thought.... What if Helfrich hired Wilcox as a SC instead of Hoke? Probably would have had a job a few years longer. Justin Wilcox was a pretty good DC but as a HC he can't seem to get both sides of the ball aligned. He also doesn't have the resources.

I have a different view of Helfrich than many. I don't see him and his staff digging a hole for the program but rather being left behind in terms of recruiting. Offensively they were fine.... Defensively they were a mess. Recruiting they were ahead of Bellotti but weren't changing with the times.

I think you summed it up best with "he revealed that Oregon could be a recruiting powerhouse with its brand and the right head coach. This opened the door for Cristobal to make his impact on the program." So, in that case he was a good hire. The fact that he left after 364 days with what we know now about his coaching and forked tongue skills shows it was a great hire that we did not have to put up with him any longer. That made him our steppingstone.

Like Cristobal, I remember him as water off a Duck’s back; just part of the process in the Oregon journey.

Edited Wednesday at 08:40 PM4 days by Washington Waddler
spelling

2 hours ago, kirklandduck said:

Something I've always pondered was "what if Nick Alliotti were promoted to HC instead of Helfrich?".

One good OC hire and I think OBD wins the 2014 national championship.

One of the interesting side notes to the Taggart saga was that of the 9 December decommits that were directly tied to his leaving -- 8 four stars (7/8 ranked inside the top 260) and 1 three star -- a big portion of why the class had been ranked so highly, pretty much all ended up being very underwhelming at best and in most cases busts (given their ranking).

4 stars

#114 Tre'Shaun Harrison: followed WT to FSU and was ok the two Taggart seasons for a young player, catching 37 passes in 24 games for 355 yards and 3 TDs. Returned to the NW to Oregon State where in 3 seasons and 28 games caught 90 passes for 1147 yards and 8 TDs. Many probably remember his time at OSU as a sort of roll receiver

#119 Colson Yankoff: recollection he was thought of as a huge loss to the class, and possibly underrated as the #5 QB recruit in the nation. Went to the UW and washed out then to UCLA where he dabbled a bit at RB and WR, producing 303 yards of total offense in 3 seasons

#150 Braden Lenzy: flipped to Notre Dame and played in 9, 7, 13, and 13 games over four years totalling 74 catches for 976 yards and 9 TDs (32 for 350 and 3 TDs as a junior being his best year). He did rush 13 times for 200 yards and 2 TDs as a rFR then only got 10 more carries for 76 yards and 0 TDs the next 3 years

#157 Warren Thompson: followed WT to FSU and redshirted and caught 11 passes the next 2 years then transferred to Arkansas where he caught 31 passes over 2 years, then ended up at TCU for 19 for 246 and 2 TDs in his 6th season

#222 Malcolm Lamar: spent a single redshirt year at DE at Florida State before disappearing for a couple years then surfacing at Florida Atlantic as an OL. Finally became a starter as a senior last year for the Owls

#231 Isaiah Bolden: redshirted and then started one game for FSU at CB before transfering to Jackson State. Became a starter as a senior.

#260 Michael Ezeike: flipped to UCLA, spent 5 years at TE, totalling 35 catches for 407 yards and 7 TDs

#330 Myles Battle: spent his first two years at Old Miss at WR and had 4 catches. Switched to CB and started 4 games over two years then transfered to Utah where he started 2 games and played in all 13

Three Star

#733 Johnathan King: flipped to Indiana and redshirted then had one start in 3 years. Finished his career at Alabama A&M

Class also had 4 decommits after December in Devin Culp, Eli'jah Winston, Muhamed Diallo, and Teagan Quitoriano. Plus at least 7 other Taggart commits who we know washed out (Elliott, Cunningham, Jackson, A. Johnson, Randazzo, Jaramillo, J. Johnson). So, if WT stays, that's 20 right there who don't end up doing much to anything. Class could have ended "all sizzle (mostly) no steak."

Edited Wednesday at 09:12 PM4 days by AnotherOD

2 hours ago, DrJacksPlaidPants said:

Willie Taggart was a rung on a ladder that helped Oregon climb out of the hole that Helfrich dug. He recruited a decent class and hired Mario Cristobal who replaced him and became a higher rung on the ladder. The final rung on the ladder was Josh Wilcox. Had he accepted the job, OBD would have had consistent 3 and 4 loss seasons and would probably be in the Big 12 at this point.

On point with this..definitely dodged a bullet

Nice article! I am so glad we somehow ended up with Lanning out of all this. It was worth all the nonsense from Cristobal and Taggart.

"Do something"? What a joke that was! However, Taggart did have the offense humming. Oregon was averaging over 50ppg when Herbert was healthy that year and there were explosive plays all over the field. How Cristobal took that over and turned it into a pedestrian mid-30s ppg average for three years, will forever stink like low tide in my book. What a absolute waste of talent!

I am probably the only one with this opinion, but if someone told me I had to pick between the two right now, I would probably still go with Taggart. At least the team was excited, showed emotion, scored points, and was not continuously dropping games to double-digit underdogs every single season.

Oh...and actually running out the game clock when the opportunity arises, instead of fumbling the game away.

Edited Wednesday at 11:03 PM4 days by GeotechDuck

3 minutes ago, GeotechDuck said:

Oregon was averaging over 50ppg when Herbert was healthy that year and there were explosive plays all over the field. How Cristobal took that over and turned it into a pedestrian mid-30s ppg average for three years, will forever stink like low tide in my book. What a absolute waste of talent!

I found Taggart was happy to run up the score. Where Kelly, Helfrich and Lanning all slow it down and burn the clock in a blowout and even put in backups... Taggart always seemed to keep his foot on the gas.

Think of how many more touchdowns Nix would have had in 2023 if he wasn't sitting on the bench the entire 4th quarter?

As for Cristobal... Yeah... I'm planning on looking at some of his offensive philosophy at the time. Has Cristobal finally learned to let hai OC actually do their thing? Maybe, we'll see this season if the Cam Ward production was an anomaly or if MC finally learned something.

It still seems like every game I watched within the Cristobal era was a 1 score game until late in the 4th quarter. I know that is not the case, but it still feels that way. It is difficult as a fan to watch games and think, "are they going to find a way to lose this?".

I think the turning point for me was the Cal game at home after the COVID year. Oregon won that game, but the offense was flat out terrible. The fans were booing the play calling and IIRC Mario was upset because he thought they were booing the players.

Edited Wednesday at 11:11 PM4 days by GeotechDuck

1 hour ago, GeotechDuck said:

I think the turning point for me was the Cal game at home after the COVID year. Oregon won that game, but the offense was flat out terrible. The fans were booing the play calling and IIRC Mario was upset because he thought they were booing the players.

That game came down to the final play...where Cal could have won. They were knocking on the door to score, and it never should have been that close.

Disliked Taggart big time, but disliked Mario even more.

Mario straight up lied to Mullens and Phil when they asked him if he was talking to Miami. He bold faced denied it. Funny thing, he started talking to John Ruiz on the flight back from Columbus when Oregon beat Ohio State in Columbus. So the net is Mario was laying the ground work to go to Miami in October of that year yet when ‘asked’ about it before Oregon lost to Utah in the P12 championship, he said he had not discussed anything with Miami. That was on a Friday, on Monday he called an 8:30 am team meeting and announced he was leaving.

In talking with a couple of guys who played for Mario, they said there ‘was absolutely no team culture’ and when Mario talked about the family environment, players again said it didn't exist.

One of those same players said Mario never once had the team to his home.

Have had a chance to meet and talk with some current players and all have said Lanning has the team to his home all the time and we know Bo was a regular at Dans house. All describe Dan as being ‘real’. Never heard that about Mario.

Couple of things come to mind… I recall that the esteemed Tony Dungy highly recommended “Slick” Willie and provided a glowing evaluation of how ”Slick” Willie was a superior coaching talent… But “Slick” Willie never demonstrated it on the field nor was he honest with us. Once he finally lied and left in the middle of the night, I could never believe anything Coach Dungy said ever again…

But it all worked out… once “Slick” left, then when Mari0 left, we are able to see what a GREAT coach really is…

Dan is phenomenal… His ability to turn a situation, where he was rumored to be taking the job at BAMA, into a GREAT recruiting video AND MOTIVATIONAL MANTRA for all of us to stand up and cheer… Yes the Grass is DAMN GREEN in Eugene…

Additionally this lead to the dumpster fire that is still at UDUB…

My best memory of Taggart was him icing the OSU kicker just before halftime while we were up by 30 points, with an indignant look on his face of how OSU could be so disrespectful with their trash talking of Oregon.

My next best memory is watching the opening FSU game where they looked horrible and Taggart looked like he wanted to hide. It made me realize that Oregon's program is what was special, the coach was just one part of the equation and any coach should be counting their lucky stars to have the program's wind at his back

"#119 Colson Yankoff"

While we're in memory lane, remember when Yankoff wanted to transfer from fuskieland to UCLA? Chris Petersen, could have, but wouldn't, grant him immediate eligibility at UCLA, so he had to sit a year for the Bruins (Chip Kelly).

Even before NIL, there have been numerous game rule changes/interpretations, eligibility criteria changes, where the hash marks are, live ball play clock, location of goal posts, etc. etc. Yet, there is one statistical record book that is supposed to allow us to compare current players to history. I think about that sometimes, and how non-comparable those records really are.

57 minutes ago, HDuck said:

Even before NIL, there have been numerous game rule changes/interpretations, eligibility criteria changes, where the hash marks are, live ball play clock, location of goal posts, etc. etc. Yet, there is one statistical record book that is supposed to allow us to compare current players to history. I think about that sometimes, and how non-comparable those records really are.

Totally agree. There are some records that really can't be broken. On the flip side there are some incredible teams of the past that can't even remotely compare to the teams we have today.

There is just no way to compare even 2000's football to today's product. They are just so wildly different in terms of rules, schemes, and player training.

Do Oregon fans dislike Willie as much as Tennessee fans do Lane? Both left after one season to coach at their "dream" jobs. Both got fired.

6 hours ago, GatOrlando said:

Do Oregon fans dislike Willie as much as Tennessee fans do Lane? Both left after one season to coach at their "dream" jobs. Both got fired.

No. Probably because Oregon recovered pretty quickly and was able to put him in the past. Tennessee had to go through a lot of bad coaches before landing on Heupel.

11 minutes ago, DrJacksPlaidPants said:

No. Probably because Oregon recovered pretty quickly and was able to put him in the past. Tennessee had to go through a lot of bad coaches before landing on Heupel.

Lane also left in the middle of the night. Willie has turned out to be a one hit wonder while Lane later turned his career around at FAU and Ole Miss.

I'll ask this. Are Oregon fans angrier at Willie or Mario? I know you got an upgrade with Lanning, but he wasn't a sure thing coming in as an unknown from Georgia. Oregon seems to just be a program that gets a better coach each time one leaves. Take Helfrich out of there and you have Chip Kelly, Mario Christobal and now Dan Lanning.

I don't think you'll have an issue of having Dan leave for a better college job. Oregon is at that level where you can't move upward anymore. Alabama, Michigan, Texas, Georgia, LSU, Penn State,Ohio State, Notre Dame, Clemson, USC, and hopefully Florida very soon are all tier one. But it's a lateral move from Oregon at this point imo.

10 hours ago, David Marsh said:

Totally agree. There are some records that really can't be broken. On the flip side there are some incredible teams of the past that can't even remotely compare to the teams we have today.

There is just no way to compare even 2000's football to today's product. They are just so wildly different in terms of rules, schemes, and player training.

I have a good friend, John Sande, who was the center on the Stanford team in 1970, the year Jim Plunkett won the Heisman and Stanford upset Ohio State in the Rose Bowl on January 1, 1971.

John was the Rose Bowl All-Decade center. He handled the 'behemoth' Ohio State nose tackle, All-American Jim Stillwagon, who had no QB pressures, no TFL, and one tackle total.

John played center at 215 pounds. The behemoth Stillwagon weighed 240 pounds.

Rules and regulations change, no doubt, but in my seven decades of following college football, the biggest change I have witnessed is in the size and athleticism of the athletes, especially at the QB position, where UW's Warren Moon helped prove what should have been obvious: people of all colors can play QB.

Thanks again, David, and thanks to you and other Forum friends, for the terrific comments.

Willie Taggart is going to be a coach who in 25 years people (especially those who aren't Duck fans) will look back and ask "Who?" He's now a nobody, nobody really cares about him. Around in Eugene, he'll mostly be known for leaving, stupid catch phrases, and possibly transitioning the program to a nationwide approach with recruiting. He wasn't a bad coach, I could see how he might have had some success if he had decided to stay, but he was a con-man who was always going to go to the first big school that would allow him to get back to the South.

I think in general Christobal will be looked back more fondly simply because he did have success, his success was stunted due to his own inability to get past certain barriers that he put up for himself, but I do think he's in general not a bad CEO, problem is that he thinks he's more than a CEO and that means he meddles in things he doesn't really have the expertise to have success in, namely operating an offense.

29 minutes ago, GatOrlando said:

I'll ask this. Are Oregon fans angrier at Willie or Mario?

For me personally, Taggart was a blip-- I got to the point with Mario that I could barely stand to watch Oregon play, the offense was so predictable any defensive coordinator in the country could stop it, I was not sorry in the least to see him leave, and then he managed to even do that poorly.

25 minutes ago, GatOrlando said:

Lane also left in the middle of the night. Willie has turned out to be a one hit wonder while Lane later turned his career around at FAU and Ole Miss.

I'll ask this. Are Oregon fans angrier at Willie or Mario? I know you got an upgrade with Lanning, but he wasn't a sure thing coming in as an unknown from Georgia. Oregon seems to just be a program that gets a better coach each time one leaves. Take Helfrich out of there and you have Chip Kelly, Mario Christobal and now Dan Lanning.

I don't think you'll have an issue of having Dan leave for a better college job. Oregon is at that level where you can't move upward anymore. Alabama, Michigan, Texas, Georgia, LSU, Penn State,Ohio State, Notre Dame, Clemson, USC, and hopefully Florida very soon are all tier one. But it's a lateral move from Oregon at this point imo.

Before FAU and Ole Miss, Lane's career was resuscitated by Saint Nick. Ditto, Locksley, Sark, and others. Saban won on the field and in helping coaches get back on their feet.

After opening the wallet last season, Ole Miss boosters were let down by Lane not having the team ready to play every week. How do you lose to Kentucky at home and later destroy Georgia? How with a 1st round draft pick at QB do you flame out against a Florida team and miss the PO?

Yes, QB DJ Lagway played QB for the Gators in the win against Ole Miss, but he threw for 180 yards, respectable but not noteworthy. Ole Miss QB Dart threw 3 picks, and a team that averaged 38.6 points scored 17. This went beyond choke and into gag me with a spoon (😁) territory. In addition to the Kentucky loss, Ole Miss pulled defeat from the jaws of victory against LSU. In this debut for the Florida job, Lane helped save Billy Napier's job.

I think Lane is the kind of coach who will come close, but no cigar.

I do believe Dan will stay in Eugene until his youngest child graduates from high school. I think one of the things that motivates Dan is bringing the first football national championship to Oregon.

Thanks for the terrific comments.

59 minutes ago, GatOrlando said:

I don't think you'll have an issue of having Dan leave for a better college job.

I agree; those other traditional blue-bloods have their 'Nattys, and while Oregon is an elite team at this time, we will not be a blue-blood until we win a few. Hence those other programs have their traditionals established, and Dan would just be following in their history already built. The expectations would be high, and he would simply be trying to "match" what has been done in the past.

At Oregon...he can establish a legacy unlike any other prior coach in Eugene, and I think he wants to. He has stated that he wants his boys to all graduate from the same high school, and the youngest is now 11 years old, thus I believe we have six years of him, minimum.

He strikes me as the type of guy that once he has won a 'Natty or two at Oregon...he will have "done-it" at the college level, and will want to match the best defensive minds in the NFL.

Although he could be a "Lifer" here if he wanted to!

Recruits....Come to Oregon!

1 hour ago, GatOrlando said:

I'll ask this. Are Oregon fans angrier at Willie or Mario?

I would say Taggart simply because he pilfered the coaching staff and a bunch of recruits. Mario took over and got OBD back to a level of respectability with conference championships and a Rose Bowl win. Mario snagged a couple of coaches and maybe a player or two, but none of them were impact players.

Lanning and NFL?

KC's Andy Reid is 67 years old. I have my doubts KC would hire Lanning if that job became open in 2026. The most successful NFL coaches have some NFL experience. But, if Lanning had a CFP championship on his resume then all bets are off. In my opinion, Lanning would be interested in that job despite which school his kids are attending.

My instant reaction to both previous coaches was that they were fake and snakey. My fellow Duck fans in my life, however, love to chug and guzzle homer-ade when it comes to worshipping coaches and loved them soooo much. Until they left, and now they have joined me in my Day 1 judgments of both.

31 minutes ago, HDuck said:

Lanning and NFL?

KC's Andy Reid is 67 years old. I have my doubts KC would hire Lanning if that job became open in 2026. The most successful NFL coaches have some NFL experience. But, if Lanning had a CFP championship on his resume then all bets are off. In my opinion, Lanning would be interested in that job despite which school his kids are attending.

Dan specifically addressed the KC thing in multiple interviews.

He said at one time that was his goal. Now he says it is not. He said his vision has changed.

Do we believe him? I am going with yes on this one given he has been pretty honest to date.

"Do we believe him?"

Well, most currently employed coaches responsible for recruiting and retaining staff are going to say the same thing, I suppose. Even if the potential NFL job is 42 miles from his high school.

I love my wife, and I would turn down an offer from Page Spiranac. Of course, IF Page actually called, ....

On 8/6/2025 at 10:45 AM, David Marsh said:

A change in the recruiting mindset was needed and Taggart could do it but Cristobal actually did it at Oregon before Lanning arrived who elevated to a whole new level.

When Taggart sealed his reputation as the dumbest coach to ever leave a program, OBD had the very best recruiting class EVER...until this upcoming class that is. One glaring misnomer (not attributed to you David-you brought a great summary to the entire season as Taggart basically left everyone feeling completely soiled, including the very solid staff he brought-which refused to join him at Florida State) is until Justin Herbert lunged for that fateful TD, Oregon's offense was running at an unprecedented clip to the degree that Taggart's Gulf Coast Offense would have obliterated Chip's legacy. And I do mean obliterate. It was scoring a staggering 50 plus points per game.

The offense was unstoppable, and I do mean no SEC defense would have touched it unstoppable. It was on LSU's 2019 juggernaut pace, and more. And that was without the blazing speed he had recruited that fall, which would have made that offense better than LSU's a year in advance (that WR class was top shelf-as in better than the Dakorian Moore and Dallas Wilson combo). The only reason I don't dare declare we would have seen a Natty Trophy join Marcus Mariota's Heisman is Taggart flamed out so spectacularly. That's how much of an impact that class would have had.

Taggart would have been better off if he had solicited a mentor. He literally had put OBD in elite category by simply putting a staff together that was recruiting at epic levels. But his immaturity was evident, and he clearly has character flaws. That brief stint however, launched OBD into contender status forever. The ironic aspect to all this is both Florida bound coaches ruined their best chances at earning a National Title as they had one of the very best Oregon QBs combined with close to the very best defenses we as fans have witnessed.

U2 has this great line in one of my favorite songs of theirs: "It's no secret that a conscious can sometimes be a pest, it's no secret that ambition bites the nails of success". That and "it's no secret that a liar would believe no one else" sums up Willie Taggert for me. The guy was paying attention to everything but the present-and he was too foolish to grasp his goal of becoming the first Black coach to win a National Title was staring him in the face in Eugene.

14 hours ago, Jon Joseph said:

After opening the wallet last season, Ole Miss boosters were let down by Lane not having the team ready to play every week. How do you lose to Kentucky at home and later destroy Georgia? How with a 1st round draft pick at QB do you flame out against a Florida team and miss the PO?

Yes, QB DJ Lagway played QB for the Gators in the win against Ole Miss, but he threw for 180 yards, respectable but not noteworthy. Ole Miss QB Dart threw 3 picks, and a team that averaged 38.6 points scored 17. This went beyond choke and into gag me with a spoon (😁) territory. In addition to the Kentucky loss, Ole Miss pulled defeat from the jaws of victory against LSU. In this debut for the Florida job, Lane helped save Billy Napier's job.

I think Lane is the kind of coach who will come close, but no cigar.

I do believe Dan will stay in Eugene until his youngest child graduates from high school. I think one of the things that motivates Dan is bringing the first football national championship to Oregon.

Thanks for the terrific comments.

What's ironic is many Gator boosters were willing to pay the Napier buyout and go after Lane. I think Lane is just a more loud mouth version of Dan Mullen. Dan couldn't or wouldn't put in the effort to recruit, and Lane would prefer to recruit out of the transfer portal because he doesn't really want to put in the time to get high school kids and mold them. It would be a massive mistake to give that guy 10 million a year.

I want an offensive guy that will bring back the fun and gun system Steve made famous. I would like a guy like Dillingham if that were possible. But I think it's only fair that Billy get a full year to show what he can do. Lane Kiffin can play his little games in Oxford, let Auburn or LSU hire him. I don't think Lane will pull a Malzahn, Fisher, or Orgeron and win a random title with one freaky QB run. I think he's a 7-10 win guy at best.

15 hours ago, TerryM9 said:

For me personally, Taggart was a blip-- I got to the point with Mario that I could barely stand to watch Oregon play, the offense was so predictable any defensive coordinator in the country could stop it, I was not sorry in the least to see him leave, and then he managed to even do that poorly.

Many Seminole fans wish everyone could forget that hire too. But as long as they sit on that old horse and laugh at others without realizing they're in quicksand, I'm gonna remind them it's been a decade plus since they've won anything.