TALLAHASSEE, Fla. _ Oregon coach Willie Taggart is taking a page out of former Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher's book on commenting about other jobs.
Taggart _ a top Florida State coaching target _ said he has not had any contact from the Seminoles while trying to not provide further comment on coaching rumors.
"Why wouldn't I be? I'm the football coach," Taggart said lightheartedly Friday when asked if he would return as Oregon coach following a practice after Fisher accepted the Texas A&M job. "You guys are asking me like you're trying to get me out of here or something."
After replying "no" when asked if FSU had reached out to him, Taggart quickly asked reporters "so can we move on now?"
Taggart is presumed to be one of few targets for FSU's newly vacant coaching position.
Taggart, who is from Bradenton and coached four seasons at USF, is 7-5 in his first season at Oregon. He became one of the hottest coaching prospects in the country after leading USF to a 10-2 record last season.
Taggart has ties within the state of Florida, and has delivered gradually improvement in each of his three coaching jobs, starting at his alma mater Western Kentucky, in his eight seasons as a head coach despite his 47-50 overall record.
Before his media session began, Taggart told reporters he was "not addressing any of that rumor stuff" similar to Fisher, who often told media "I'm not going to talk about jobs" before leaving FSU on Friday.
Taggart, Virginia Tech coach Justin Fuente and current USF coach Charlie Strong are among some possible candidates to replace Fisher, who led FSU to the 2013 national title during his eight seasons.
Taggart, who shares the same agent as Fisher in renowned agent Jimmy Sexton, is reportedly considering a five-year, $20 million contract extension from Oregon.
"I'm the coach at the University of Oregon and I love our guys. I love them," Taggart said. "I love all of them, and I appreciate every single one of them because they've done everything I've asked them to do."
