In 2007, the University of South Florida’s football team started the season ranked second in the country. The team, headed by Jim Leavitt, became one of the fastest growing football programs in the NCAA. In 2010, Leavitt reportedly struck a player in the locker room during a game against Louisville, and after extensive investigations by USF officials, Leavitt was fired.

Many fans remained optimistic when Skip Holtz was hired in 2010 as the new head coach. Holtz’s first season looked promising, leading the Bulls to a 31-26 victory over Clemson in the Meineke Car Care Bowl. Holtz’s success in the prior season proved to be short-lived. In 2011, the Bulls received its first losing record in six years. The following season, USF went 3-9, resulting in the worst season in their history as a football team. Shortly after, Holtz was fired for producing two dismal seasons. The Bulls, over the last two years, became known for their lackluster offense and talented but undisciplined defense. Criticized for its poor recruiting, USF hoped to find a coach that would facilitate the process of obtaining top prospects from high school teams.

At a young age of 37, Willie Taggart was hired to bring renewed optimism and enthusiasm to a team that had lost its spirit. Sports fanatics have raved that Taggart is the perfect person for the job, harboring experience as a coach at Stanford under Jim Harbaugh, the current head coach of the San Francisco 49ers’. While USF has gone  0-4 so far this season, Taggart remains positive. “If I thought like everybody else, we’d definitely be in trouble as a football program,’’ Taggart said. “I’m the leader of this program. I’m the one who has to get it done. I can’t think like anyone else.”