Randy Shannon Named Florida DC: Latest Contract Details, Comments, Reaction

The Florida Gators announced Friday the removal of Randy Shannon's interim defensive coordinator tag and named him the full-time defensive coordinator under head coach Jim McElwain. 

Shannon's promotion was made official by the Gators' official Twitter account.

Shannon will fill the void left by former defensive coordinator Geoff Collins, who was hired as Temple's new head football coach.

Florida hired Shannon as the associate head coach, linebackers coach and co-defensive coordinator in 2015 after stints as a linebackers coach at TCU and Arkansas.

Shannon called the defensive plays for the Gators defense in the team's 30-3 Outback Bowl win over Iowa and left a strong enough impression to earn the job.

McElwain was complimentary of Shannon following the announcement of his promotion:

Florida's head coach also lauded Shannon for his professionalism, per Scott Carter of the school's official athletics website: "Coach Shannon has been a big part of our success over the last two years. It's been really cool to watch him handle his business."

Shannon brings a wealth of collegiate coaching experience to the table, including a four-year stint as head coach at Miami (Florida), which saw him go 28-22 and finish with three winning seasons.

The former Dallas Cowboys linebacker has bounced around ever since, but he appears to have found a home with the Gators.

Florida ranked sixth in the nation in scoring defense and fifth in total yardage allowed per game, and Shannon was a significant part of that success.

The Gators must maintain their defensive excellence in order to return to college football's elite ranks, and the continuity that comes with Shannon's promotion should help immensely.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.