USF hires Taggart as head football coach

Dec 8, 2012 - 4:30 PM Tampa, FL (Sports Network) - The University of South Florida has hired Western Kentucky's Willie Taggart as its new head football coach.

Taggart coached WKU to a record of 16-20 over the previous three seasons, including a 7-5 mark this year. The Hilltoppers will play Central Michigan in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl on Dec. 26. It's not known if Taggart will coach in that game.

South Florida will introduce Taggart at a 4 p.m. (et) press conference today.

This marks a return to the Tampa area for Taggart. A former quarterback at WKU, Taggart was a prep standout at Manatee High School in Bradenton.

Prior to his time at WKU, Taggart was the running backs coach at Stanford from 2007-09. He also spent eight seasons as an assistant coach at WKU from 1999-2006.

Taggart replaces Skip Holtz, who was fired last Sunday. The Bulls completed the 2012 campaign, their third under Holtz's direction, with a 3-9 record. South Florida went just 5-16 in Big East play and 16-21 overall during Holtz's tenure, which began in January of 2010 after the university hired the 48-year- old following a successful five-year stint with East Carolina.