Mario Cristobal to be named Oregon head coach

Oregon has found its replacement for Willie Taggart, and the hire is coming from within.

Aaron Fentress of NBC Sports Northwest reported on Friday that Mario Cristobal is set to be named the new head coach of the Ducks. Cristobal was previously named the team’s interim coach after Taggart took the job at Florida State, but he has now been given the full-time position.

Cristobal joined Oregon last year as co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach. Prior to that, he coached the offensive line at Alabama from 2013-2016. He also has some previous head coaching experience, as he was the top man with Florida International from 2007-2012 and compiled a record of 27-47. The program was 1-11 the year before Cristobal took over.

Oregon players may have had a major say in Cristobal being offered the full-time coaching job, as 70 of them are said to have signed a petition supporting Cristobal after he was named interim coach for Las Vegas Bowl against Boise State on Dec. 16.

As Fentress notes, defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt was also hoping to be promoted to head coach at Oregon, so the Ducks may have a difficult time retaining him after they decided to go with Cristobal.

Cristobal has been a respected name in coaching searches for quite some time, and he was believed to be a top candidate to take over another big-time program two years ago. Taggart spent less than a full season at Oregon, but he had already assembled one of the top recruiting classes in the country heading into 2018. Cristobal will do his best to keep those players committed.