Baltimore Ravens vs. San Francisco 49ers in 2013
A fan's helmet with the logos of the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers reflects the inside of the Superdome before the NFL Super Bowl XLVII football game in New Orleans, Louisiana, February 3, 2013. REUTERS/ Reuters

The San Francisco 49ers will promote Jim Tomsula to the head coaching position years after being the defensive line coach of the squad. Tomsula replaces Jim Harbaugh, who was fired by the team earlier this season.

"After conducting a thorough coaching search, and meeting with a number of outstanding candidates, Jim Tomsula clearly is the right man to lead this team," 49ers Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Jed York said in an official statement. "Jim is a great teacher and a tremendous mentor who conducts himself with great class and integrity."

The 49ers were also targeting Adam Gase, for the job but chose to go with Tomsula, who reportedly were well-liked within the team. Gase was the Denver Broncos offensive coordinator and were a leading contender after Harbaugh was fired.

The #49ers have agreed to terms with Jim Tomsula to become the team's new head coach. http://t.co/efH4Inthbr pic.twitter.com/HBSstqRO91

— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) January 15, 2015

“[He’s an] energetic guy. He brings a lot of energy. We feed off that,” 49ers outside linebacker Aldon Smith said about Tomsula. “He communicates well with us. If there’s something that’s going good we let him know. If there’s something we need to work on, we let him know. He does a good job of getting those things fixed so we can be efficient as a defense.”

Tomsula was the defensive line coach for the 49ers from 2007–2014. Tomsula was named the 49ers' interim head coach on December 27, 2010, after former head coach Mike Singletary was fired and won his first and only game as head coach with 38–7 over the Arizona Cardinals.

Under Harbaugh, the 49ers found consistent success in the first three years with a combined record of 36-11 making the conference championships twice and the Super Bowl once. Last year they went just 8-8 and missed the postseason.

To contact author of this article, email j.gloria@IBTimes.com.au