Courtesy Oregon Athletic Department
Oregon announced Tuesday in a news release that former Alabama assistant head coach, Mario Cristobal, has joined Willie Taggart’s staff as co-offensive coordinator and run-game coordinator.
Cristobal, who has spent the last four seasons coaching under Nick Saban, will also serve as Oregon’s offensive line coach.
Cristobal signed a three-year deal with Oregon. He will make $700,000 annually per his contract, which is available on UO’s Public Records website.
During his four years at Alabama, Cristobal also served as offensive line coach, where he recruited and produced some of the best offensive lines in the country. He was named recruiter of the year by 247Sports in 2015 and has had a number of former players play in the NFL.
Under Cristobal, Alabama also boasted one of the top running games in the country, ranked as the 11th best in 2016.
Before Alabama, Cristobal served as head coach of Florida International for six years (2007-12), where he led them to a program-record eight wins in 2011. Prior to that, he spent three years (2004-06) as the tight-ends and offensive line coach at Florida, his alma mater, and three years (2001-03) at Rutgers, where he coached offensive tackles and tight ends.
“It’s been a great four years and along these four years there’s always been opportunities that came every year at all levels,” Cristobal told the Tuscaloosa News on Friday. “Whether it be head-coaching opportunities, coordinator opportunities, assistant-coaching opportunities.
“This is one I felt really strongly about because of the head football coach, Coach Taggart, and the other assistant coaches who I’ve known from competing against them back when I was a head coach myself. My familiarity with them, the way that they want to run a program and the ability to help a university in a capacity that’s different: one that gives me an opportunity to show growth and develop men. Those are things I learned here under Coach Saban. It’s an opportunity that’s exciting for a lot of reasons. I’m certainly grateful for that opportunity.”
Cristobal is the eighth assistant coach to join Taggart’s staff.
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