New Oregon football head coach Willie Taggart was not shy about what he expects to accomplish in his new job.
He wants Oregon to win a national championship. He said it the moment he stepped off the plane to Eugene.
On winning a national title, Taggart said, “There is no reason for us not to.”
In nine syllables, Taggart energized an entire fan base and perhaps justified Mark Helfrich’s firing
The decision to fire Helfrich and hire Taggart shows that Oregon’s wanted a new face. The Ducks cut ties with a native Oregonian who had a coaching staff that had been around for years. However, Taggart’s new energy gives life to the program. Duck fans hope this new Oregon trail leads to a title.
The weight of expectations did not appear to bother Taggart during his introductory press conference. It only seemed to energize him.
His three tenets: “Make no excuses. Blame no one. Do something.”
He evaluates on three things: “[Be the] best student you can be, best football player you can be, and [have] the best character that you can have.”
Taggart’s most important statement from the press conference came when he told season ticket holder and fans to “buckle up.” The Oregon program is in rebuilding mode.
Oregon slipped because it lost its role as the innovator in college football. In 2016, many teams run some variation of the spread, no-huddle offense, and every program has multiple uniforms to wear throughout the year. What about Oregon’s shiny, massive facilities? They’re still impressive, but many schools are catching up.
Oregon needs something to separate itself from the rest of college football. Traditional brands mean something in college football, and Oregon isn’t one. Taggart must find something to make Oregon unique again.
Taggart emphasized recruiting when talking about his checklist. He is “going to put a fence around here” when it comes to recruits in Oregon. That’s good, but far from enough to get the talent needed to win championships. A program has to have something special to entice recruits to leave their home state, and in some cases, travel across the country.
The night after his press conference, Taggart boarded a red-eye flight to Hawaii to begin recruiting. The energy and enthusiasm is impressive. He continues to bring the “juice.” Maybe, instead of fancy new innovations, recruits will leave home and follow his unique personality to Eugene.
Follow Jack Butler @Butler917