After looking around at outside candidates, including a long talk with Denver Broncos offensive coordinator Adam Gase on Tuesday, the San Francisco 49ers have apparently decided to stay in-house for their next head coach.
The 49ers are set to promote Jim Tomsula, the defensive line coach, to head coach to replace Jim Harbaugh, ESPN's Adam Schefter first reported on Wednesday. Tomsula's name has been floated throughout the process, even back late last regular season when it was clear Harbaugh wasn't returning in 2015, but the timing is a bit surprising given the 49ers' clear interest in Gase. They met with Gase most of the day on Tuesday, reports said. The move would keep Gase in play for the Denver Broncos, who need a head coach after parting ways with John Fox.
Tomsula has been an NFL head coach for one game. In 2010, after Mike Singletary was fired, Tomsula stepped in as interim head coach for the season finale and the 49ers won. Harbaugh retained Tomsula on his staff.
Tomsula has been with the 49ers as defensive line coach since 2007, so the organization is very familiar with him. He was in NFL Europe from 1998-2006 before joining the 49ers, spending one season as head coach of the Rhein Fire. He coached in colleges and high schools before that, including an early stint in his career in the 1990s at Charleston Southern in which he was delivering newspapers for The Post and Courier, serving as a night janitor at an insurance agency, and cutting firewood" to make ends meet, according to his 49ers bio. He has paid his dues to get to this point.
Tomsula isn't a household name among NFL fans but that will change. He comes into a really difficult situation, taking over for the very successful Harbaugh. Harbaugh was 44-19-1 in four seasons including three trips to the NFC championship game and one trip to the Super Bowl.
Tomsula has a lot to live up to, but the 49ers know him well, and obviously think he's up to it.
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