Willie Taggart has reportedly hired Washington State defensive line coach Joe Salave’a to coach the same position group at Oregon, FootballScoop.com reported Monday night.

CSN Northwest’s Aaron Fentress was first to report that Oregon was targeting Salave’a for its staff.

WSUCougars.com

Salave’a played at Arizona and later in the NFL for Tennessee, Baltimore, San Diego and Washington.

After his NFL career, which included 100 games and 28 starts, Salave’a joined the staff at San Jose State in 2008. In the Bay Area, he coached alongside his former collegiate coach, Dick Tomey. After SJSU, Salave’a assisted at Arizona before ultimately joining the Washington State staff in 2012. The Seattle Times reported last month that Salave’a had signed a contract extension to keep him in Pullman through the 2019 season.

WSU coach Mike Leach added the title of assistant head coach to Salave’a’s duties before the 2015 season.

Salave’a has been a hot commodity in Pac-12 coaching circles in previous years. He was reportedly pursued by Washington’s Chris Petersen and USC’s Steve Sarkisian.

Salave’a will work alongside defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt and cornerbacks coach Charles Clark. Keith Heyward has not yet officially been named a defensive backs coach at Oregon, though FootballScoop.com reported earlier this month that he will join Taggart’s staff.

Follow Jonathan Hawthorne on Twitter @Jon_Hawthorne

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