Willie Taggart‘s first hire at Oregon is reportedly in, and it’s a big one.
Oregon will hire Colorado defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt to serve in the same post, Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports reported Wednesday.
BREAKING #CU defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt is going to #Oregon as the Ducks new DC gets a 4-year deal, source tells @FoxSports.
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) December 14, 2016
Leavitt, of course, spent two seasons as Colorado’s defensive coordinator, where he helped preside over one of the biggest 1-season turnarounds in college football history. This year’s Buffs defense ranks eighth nationally in yards per play allowed and 18th in scoring defense, while ranking 120th and 119th in those metrics, respectively, in the year prior to Leavitt’s arrival in Boulder.
He was named a Broyles Award finalist for that turnaround, and will be paid appropriately for that expertise.
HUGE hire for #Oregon & Willie Taggart. The deal Jim Leavitt gets will make him the highest-paid coordinator in Pac-12 history, per source.
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) December 14, 2016
The odd note here is that Leavitt, like Taggart, was a former South Florida head coach. Leavitt guided the program from FCS to the Big East over 13 seasons from 1997-09, compiling a 95-57 record with bowl trips in his final five seasons before being forced out over accusations of player mistreatment.