The rumor mill is really churning when it comes to Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher and a potential move to College Station to take over for Kevin Sumlin at Texas A&M. Reports have swirled that FSU would target Oregon head coach Willie Taggart should Fisher elect to bolt for the SEC and, in short, one description of the situation in Tallahassee right now used the term "disastrous" to illustrate the temperature.
With that as the backdrop, Andy Staples of Sports Illustrated is now reporting that the Ducks are throwing additional money at Taggart in an effort to preemptively lock him up and prevent a move to Florida State. The report indicates that a new deal was offered to Taggart that "would pay a little more than $20 million over five years" and that would be enough to keep most head coaches in place at their current position.
Still, Staples makes sure to note that "Taggart has reason to wait" as many feel he would be the top target for the 'Noles in a post-Fisher universe and that could come with essentially a blank check given the vast resources of that program. For now, this is simply a report that shows Oregon's dedication to keeping Taggart in the fold but, at the end of the day, Florida State could probably trump any offer financially and it would be up to Taggart to turn down an obviously appealing job.
Taggart is 7-5 in his first season with Oregon after previously helping turn around the program at South Florida.
