EUGENE -- The search for Mark Helfrich's replacement as Oregon Ducks football coach has reportedly come to an end.

According to a report early Wednesday morning from ESPN's Brett McMurphy, the Ducks have landed on South Florida coach Willie Taggart.

Here's the latest on Taggart and the Oregon coaching search as the story develops:

Wednesday, Dec. 7

Canzano's column on the hiring: What does a Willie Taggart hiring mean for Oregon?

Oregon goes with Taggart: The 40-year-old South Florida coach is 40-45 overall but has a reputation as a program-builder. Our story:

According to a report from ESPN's Brett McMurphy, the Oregon Ducks are set to name Willie Taggart their new head football coach. McMurphy says Dan Mullen and Taggart were the two finalists. Stay with us for more on this developing story.

USF’s Willie Taggart will be named Oregon’s coach, a source told @ESPN — Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) December 7, 2016

Tuesday, Dec. 6

True? We shall see:

BREAKING: Heard from source w/ ties to UO ath dept, decision on new head football coach HAS been made & rumored to be current non-Power5 HC — Nigel Burton (@CoachNBurton) December 7, 2016

Dungy a key supporter of Taggart: Tony Dungy, the former Super Bowl-winning coach whose son, Eric, played at Oregon before transferring to South Florida to play under Willie Taggart, knows a thing or two about the Ducks and Taggart, and has been a believer from the start that the USF coach would fit well in Eugene. Dungy spoke with the Tampa Bay Times about why he was unabashed about his support of Taggart's candidacy (and how much heat he's getting from USF fans).

More on Rhule: USA Today and CBS Sports.com each have reported that Matt Rhule turned down Oregon's overtures.

CBSSports.com's Dennis Dodd wrote in his coaching carousel story Tuesday:

New Baylor coach Matt Rhule turned down an offer from Oregon to go to Baylor, a highly-placed source told CBS Sports. Before taking the Baylor job, Rhule had met personally with Nike CEO Phil Knight, the source said. ...

Why would he turn down the riches of Oregon? Baylor may actually be an easier rebuild. Oregon suddenly finds itself in a loaded Pac-12 North with playoff participant Washington, Stanford and a Washington State that has a chance to win nine two years in a row.

"It doesn't seem right but Oregon's not the job it used to be," said a person intimately involved with the Oregon program. "They have the greatest facilities in the world, but you still have issues there with recruiting and weather that you don't in the state of Texas."

I would not be surprised if Oregon now goes full force for South Florida's Willie Taggart, though others are still involved — Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) December 6, 2016

Rhule to Baylor is a bit of a setback for Oregon, who made a strong play for him last night, two people w/knowledge told @USATODAYsports — Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) December 6, 2016

Rhule to Baylor: Temple coach Matt Rhule has been hired to lead the clean up at Baylor, which takes a talented coach out of Oregon's pool of candidates. Rhule was 28-23 in four seasons, leading the Owls from 2-10 in his first season to consecutive 10-win seasons.

Top-ranking Ducks pay their respects: The death of Chip Kelly's father, Paul, over the weekend, has sent several high-ranking Ducks officials to Maine today to pay their respects at his memorial.

One week in: The coaching search nears the week-long mark with some representatives from Oregon and Parker Executive Search still in New York.

Monday, Dec. 5

Western Michigan coach PJ Fleck did not receive a formal interview with the Oregon Ducks today, per source. Door closed there. — John Canzano (@johncanzanobft) December 6, 2016

Why New York? One question that's come up from multiple readers is why the search is now being conducted in New York City. The answer is that this week is one of the few times of the season -- another being the national coaches conference, held in early January -- that a majority of coaches, agents and high-ranking administrators in the world of college football all are in one place, thus making it a one-stop shop for interviewing candidates. The National Football Foundation's annual dinner will be held Tuesday at the Waldorf Astoria, and with the Heisman Trophy being awarded at the end of the week, many of those coaches and decision-makers will stick around.

Two other names from @johncanzanobft -- UNC's Larry Fedora, and Penn State's James Franklin. Apparently Oregon interested in Franklin — Stefanie Loh (@StefanieLoh) December 5, 2016

Mike Bellotti names 4 coaches on his short-list for the opening in Eugene, OR.



Matt Rhule

Jim McElwain

Willie Taggart

Dan Mullen pic.twitter.com/tCf2zlw6q2 — Paul Finebaum (@finebaum) December 5, 2016

Mullens on the move: Now that his duties with the College Football Playoff selection committee are over with in Dallas, athletic director Rob Mullens has joined Parker Executive Search in New York for another round of interviews, John Canzano reports. Monday Night Football analyst John Gruden is not a candidate, for now, per a source. The full update is below:

One fewer opening in college football: Purdue has hired Western Kentucky's Jeff Brohm as its head coach, according to multiple reports. Western Michigan's P.J. Fleck had been an early target for the Boilermakers but that interest cooled in the past several days. Yet Fleck has not been contacted by UO representatives as of late Sunday.

Sunday, Dec. 4

Latest update: No top candidate has emerged yet, per a source. A Chip Kelly return would be a "Merry Christmas" for some UO fans.

Goe: Don't rush this hire, Ducks: Colleague Ken Goe's daily "Issues & Answers" column begins Sunday with thoughts on Mullens. "In my view, " Goe writes, "Mullens' stewardship of the athletic department has been shaky at best." More below.

Search now has Mullens' undivided attention: With Sunday morning's release of the final College Football Playoff rankings -- the top four includes Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State and Washington, in order -- committee member and UO athletic director Rob Mullens now can turn his focus on filling the job search. The expected timeline for a hire is early this week, due to the NCAA recruiting "dead period" that begins Dec. 12. Note that the dead period prohibits off-campus visits by coaches and players cannot be hosted on campus. But phone calls and message are still allowed. Ideally, the Ducks will want to get a new head coach in place before the dead period takes effect in order to bolster recruiting. Oregon assistants were pulled off the road last Tuesday.

Ducks eyeing a former UO QB? Bill Musgrave has been linked to the job opening since the start, and ESPN.com's Brett McMurphy listed the Oakland Raiders offensive coordinator, and former Oregon quarterback, as a "possible candidate."

One former Duck wants a defensive-minded coach: KPTV's Nick Krupke caught up with Alex Molden on Saturday, during the Class 6A state title game in Portland, where he shared his thoughts on what kind of coach he wants UO to hire.

Saturday, Dec. 3

Latest reporting on the search: "I think we are in a pretty good place but still some work to do." More below:

Oregon now Rowing The Boat, yet:

PJ Fleck is not interviewing with Ducks today or tomorrow, per source. Fleck has team banquet and is making WMU recruiting plans. — John Canzano (@johncanzanobft) December 4, 2016

Holgorsen officially not a candidate: West Virginia's Dana Holgorsen had been floated as a potential "fit" in Eugene if Oregon terminated Helfrich's contract weeks ago, and his name resurfaced briefly earlier this week upon the actual firing. But his candidacy never picked up real momentum, and here's the reason why: According to the Charleston (W.V.) Gazette-Mail and other reports, Holgorsen and WVU have agreed to a five-year contract extension.

Boise State's Harsin reportedly interviews, too:

Source: Willie Taggart, Bryan Harsin interview w/Oregon. Tony Dungy tells ESPN, Taggart “a good fit, has all elements Oregon is looking for" — Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) December 3, 2016

Several sitting head coaches still in the mix? That's among the nuggets Canzano added this morning to his reporting, which can be read here.

Is Fleck all sizzle? Per Canzano's reporting, there is some concern from UO's side about that. Austin Meek wrote about something similar in his column Saturday.

South Florida's Willie Taggart gets a meeting:

USF's Willie Taggart met w Rob Mullens in Texas on Thursday night, per source. Today feels like a big day for this search. Candidates ahead. — John Canzano (@johncanzanobft) December 3, 2016

TCU:

I’m told TCU coach Gary Patterson is officially not a candidate at Oregon, per source with direct knowledge. — John Canzano (@johncanzanobft) December 3, 2016

Don't count on McElwain, per SI: With Western Michigan winning the MAC championship on Friday night, Oregon is expected to make official contact with P.J. Fleck's representatives. Per an SI.com update: "The name of Florida coach Jim McElwain keeps coming up, but don't believe it. Ultimately, there may be some passing interest because of McElwain's West Coast ties. But Oregon isn't going to wrestle away Florida's coach, especially with the SEC East historically lacking competitiveness."

Fleck after the MAC title:

WMU's P.J. Fleck on job rumors. "If you don't live in the moment, you're going to be miserable, and I don't want to be miserable tonight." — Tony Paul (@TonyPaul1984) December 3, 2016

Video: WMU athletic director Kathy Beauregard on P.J. Fleck's future -- 'He loves being a Bronco.' pic.twitter.com/vlD6nOBiFR — Tony Paul (@TonyPaul1984) December 3, 2016

Perspective from Rich Brooks: Because he's been a former AD and coach at Oregon, and who hired three assistants who were on Helfrich's staff, Rich Brooks has an interesting perspective on the firing of Helfrich and the different era of football UO finds itself competing in. From my story with Brooks: "It's a high level of success they've had the last 20-plus years; the fall from that high, lofty perch is not an easy call and it's certainly when you're not only getting beat, but getting beat pretty badly in some cases. I think that sounded an alarm (with Mullens and influential boosters). They're trying to keep the program from slipping into a long down period. You look at what the Huskies went through when Don James retired. When you go down, it's hard to get back. Time will tell whether they were right or wrong."

Friday, Dec. 2

The search is ongoing from Texas: The Oregonian/OregonLive's John Canzano reports that Rob Mullens is basing the coaching search, at least for right now, in Texas, while also fulfilling his playoff selection committee obligations.

More McElwain:

Once again, perfect opportunity to say “I will not be going to Oregon. I plan to coach at Florida for a long, long time.” https://t.co/YLLrtEh6tz — FootballScoop Staff (@FootballScoop) December 2, 2016

Helfrich speaks: Colleague Tyson Alger wrote about the highlights from Mark Helfrich's appearance on ESPN Radio this morning. They included that he spoke with Chip Kelly weeks ago about a possible return to Oregon, a scenario that might save some assistants' jobs. Let the speculation begin again.

On getting fired from his dream job: "It would have been easier getting fired from wherever else." — Tyson Alger (@tysonalger) December 2, 2016

Asked what Oregon should do now: "I thought they had a pretty good situation, but they disagreed." — Tyson Alger (@tysonalger) December 2, 2016

Helfrich took the high road on Oregon throwing him under the bus in press release announcing his firing. — Ryan Thorburn (@rgduckfootball) December 2, 2016

Helfrich's full comments regarding Chip Kelly: pic.twitter.com/iMCeZjApNI — Tyson Alger (@tysonalger) December 2, 2016

DBs coach Neal: I spoke with John Neal on Friday morning about his plans for the future. Said he enjoys coaching's challenges but is in a place where retirement could make sense, too, as he nears 60: "It's a pretty special moment that you can finally start to contemplate that last chapter of your life, whatever it's going to be." One thing I didn't get into the story that he mentioned was his thanks to Pat Kilkenny and Phil Knight. Here's the link:

Another perspective on Frost: I posted a link Thursday to former UO OC Scott Frost's comments saying he is not a candidate, but this Orlando Sentinel column adds more, for those interested. A sampling: "A lot of coaches are in a hurry to take the next step," Frost says. "I think you get yourself in trouble when you take a step before you're ready or before the time is right. I'm committed to making this place [UCF] a really good football program that can win and win consistently in our league. I'm not planning on looking for a job until we get to that point."

Texas bound: Ducks athletic director Rob Mullens is spending his weekend in Texas fulfilling his College Football Playoff selection committee duties.

Mark Helfrich's first comments: Helfrich is scheduled to make a guest appearance on ESPN Radio's Russillo and Kanell show at 10:30 a.m.

Thursday, Dec. 1

Todd McShay on Oregon: ESPN's NFL draft analyst went on ESPN Radio's Russillo and Kanell to discuss UO's fall from the top of college football. Listen to the whole segment here.

'@McShay13 says Oregon isn't special anymore and needs to really evaluate who they are when looking for a new coach. pic.twitter.com/ccRsKb4p2Z — The Will Cain Show (@WillCainShow) November 30, 2016

Don Pellum unsure whether he'll return to coaching: Longtime UO assistant Don Pellum said in an interview Thursday morning he is unsure about his future, and says he went through a "gazillion emotions" upon learning of Helfrich's firing.

"The first thing we all need to recognize is this is a really good team down here," Pellum said. "I think right now, the way this thing spiraled out of control toward the end there, my impression is that people are assuming this is a bad team and there's a ton of stuff the guy's going to have to do. We played seven true freshmen, nine total first-year players on defense."

Full story here:

Frost says no: Scott Frost, the former UO receivers coach and offensive coordinator who started in Eugene in 2009, before leaving to coach Central Florida last offseason, says Thursday he is not a candidate at Oregon.

Scott Frost: "I'm not a candidate at Oregon" - full story with video of his interview. https://t.co/Aq74jPb7wV pic.twitter.com/mcHhwpK5On

-- Brandon Helwig (@UCFSports) December 1, 2016

UCF coach Scott Frost: "I'm not a candidate for Oregon." — Matt Maiocco (@MaioccoNBCS) December 1, 2016

Oregon has a golden opportunity here and acted in time. It’s a great job. It has inherent advantages. Won’t be a long turn around. — John Canzano (@johncanzanobft) December 1, 2016

Five "realistically" in play: SI.com's Pete Thamel wrote in a coaching carousel piece five names that he believes are realistic targets by the Ducks. Some of the names included are largely familiar by now. Utah's Kyle Whittingham and Tulsa's Philip Montgomery also are mentioned.

***

Wednesday, Nov. 30

Multiple sources have informed me that Les Miles was spotted in Beaverton, OR earlier this week — Jordan Kent (@jordanrkent) December 1, 2016

McElwain no more? Florida's coach says he plans to remain with the Gators after speculation about his interest in UO.

Ducks players speak: Linebacker Troy Dye, offensive lineman Doug Brenner and safety Brady Breeze spoke at a press conference Wednesday to offer their reactions to Helfrich's firing. Though the players agreed with Mullens' assessment that the team's "culture" had slipped the past two seasons Dye, in particular, disagreed that UO's trajectory was "poor."

"In my opinion I felt like we were bouncing back and going upward," Dye said. "I'm sorry Rob Mullens feels the way, we're going down, but Helf had us on the way back up. It's really unfortunate to see him go."

Our Oregonian/OregonLive stories:

Willie Taggart? The South Florida coach is 40-45 overall in his career but the record belies his work leading tough rebuilds at USF and Western Kentucky. Per FOX Sports, he's considered a "strong" candidate. Note: At least one minority candidate must be interviewed for head coaching positions, according to the state "Rooney Rule," enacted in 2009. The law does not have a penalty for noncompliance, however.

#USF's Willie Taggart is emerging as a strong candidate for the #Oregon HC vacancy, source told @FoxSports. USF is 10-2 this year. — Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) November 30, 2016

Sorry, Ducks fans: Former coach Chip Kelly, whose four-year tenure led to Helfrich's promotion, said Wednesday that he does not want to return to coach the Ducks.

Chip Kelly: "I have not talked to anyone at Oregon other than Mark Helfrich." Not interested in a CFB return. https://t.co/g5FgUW3aMc — Kyle Bonagura (@BonaguraESPN) November 30, 2016

Ducks had their chance: In The Seattle Times, Adam Jude writes that Oregon had its chance to lure Chris Petersen but didn't try in 2013.

***

Tuesday, Nov. 29

Oregon is open to hiring coordinators, and ... Mullens said he isn't counting out hiring a coordinator without head-coaching experience, which goes in line with a FootballScoop.com report that Oklahoma's 33-year-old offensive coordinator wunderkind, Lincoln Riley, has been contacted by UO representatives to gauge his interest. Also contacted, per the report: Western Michigan's P.J. Fleck.