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Oregon has found its replacement for Willie Taggart, and it didn't have to look far. The school announced Friday that Mario Cristobal has been hired to take over the program from Taggart. Aaron Fentress of NBC Sports first reported the news. 

"I'm excited and honored to be the head football coach of the Oregon Ducks," said Cristobal in a release. "The rich tradition combined with the incredible wave of momentum that has been created throughout the season and the recruiting process is something we believe will be unstoppable, and this will lead us to fulfill the great expectations of our great University and our fan base."

Cristobal had been serving as the team's interim coach following Taggart's departure for Florida State.

Cristobal previously coached at Florida International from 2007-12, compiling a 27-47 record. Cristobal took FIU to consecutive bowl games in 2010 and '11. 

After his time at FIU, he spent three seasons as the Alabama offensive line coach from 2013-16. He was Oregon's offensive line coach and co-offensive coordinator this past year. Though the Ducks fought through numerous injuries, they still finished with the second-best rushing offense and third-highest scoring offense in the Pac-12. 

Cristobal is a touted recruiter and keeps alive Oregon's trend to promote from within. Though Taggart was an outside hire, Mike Bellotti, Chip Kelly and Mark Helfrich were all promoted from offensive coordinator to head coach during their time at Oregon. 

Taggart went 7-5 in his only season in Eugene and is 47-50 overall in his career. However, he's a known program builder who has improved programs at Western Kentucky and South Florida before turning things around in Eugene.