Charlie Strong appears to be the frontrunner for the South Florida job, and 247Sports reports that the Bulls are expected to meet with Strong in Tampa on Friday. However, it appears that the Bulls aren't the only green-clad team looking to hire the former Texas head coach.
247Sports also reports that former South Florida head coach Willie Taggart has been in conversations with Strong, hoping to bring Strong to Oregon as the Ducks' defensive coordinator. Taggart was officially introduced as Oregon's head coach on Wednesday, and Oregon's president made it clear that Taggart should hire a great defensive coordinator. Strong would fit that bill.
What Strong wants to do with the rest of his career at this point is definitely an intriguing factor to watch out for. At 56, Strong may only have time for one top coaching gig in his career, and he may not want to spend a couple of years at South Florida in order to turn that into yet another job.
USA Today's Dan Wolken points out the "Muschamp" route, which refers to now South Carolina head coach Will Muschamp. The former Florida Gators head coach spent a year as Auburn's defensive coordinator before flipping that into the Gamecocks' head coach position. It's possible that Strong may look to do the same.
If Strong does indeed go to Oregon, he and Taggart would make for a helluva coaching combination that is definitely capable of turning the Ducks around after a 4-8 season this year under Mark Helfrich.
Strong was fired earlier this month after three seasons at Texas. Strong was 16-21 in his time with the Longhorns. Overall, Strong is 53-37 in his career as a head coach.