Willie Taggart To Coach Florida State, Leaves Oregon After One Season

Willie Taggart has accepted a head coaching position with Florida State, ESPN's Edward Aschoff reported Tuesday.

Taggart, 41, is leaving Oregon after just one season with the team. He returns to his hometown of Florida where he coached at the University of South Florida from 2013 to 2016. He was the head coach at the University of Oregon in December 2016 where coached the Ducks to a record of 7-5 in his first season and finished 4-5 in the Pac-12. He will replace Jimbo Fisher, who resigned last week to coach at Texas A&M.

"We thank Willie for his efforts at Oregon, and we wish him and his family all the best in the future," Oregon athletic director Rob Mullens said in a statement. "I am grateful to Mario Cristobal for his willingness to step up and lead our program through our upcoming bowl game.

"The University of Oregon is a high-caliber academic institution with one of the premier college football programs in the country, and we are confident that we will find another outstanding coach to lead our tremendous group of student-athletes into the future."

Taggart met with FSU about the Seminoles head coaching job on Monday. Players were called to a team meeting to discuss the transition Tuesday. Taggart met with his staff before speaking with his players. He the first football coach hired from outside the school's program in 40 years.

Fans took to Twitter and celebrated Taggart's move.