Report: Ex-Syracuse coach hired as Maryland defensive coordinator
It’s only been a week, but D.J. Durkin is already making moves.
According to Sports Illustrated’s Thayer Evans, the newly hired Maryland coach will bring on ex-Syracuse coach Scott Shafer to take over the defense.
Ex-Syracuse coach Scott Shafer is the new defensive coordinator for Terrapins coach D.J. Durkin per source.
— Thayer Evans (@ThayerEvansCR) December 8, 2015
Shafer was fired at Syracuse following three seasons in which he compiled a 14-23 record.
In his 25 years of coaching, Shafer actually has ties to three different B1G schools. He started as a graduate assistant at Indiana in 1991. After stints at Rhode Island and Northern Illinois, he was the defensive backs coach at Illinois for the 2004 season. He also spent time on Jim Harbaugh’s staff at Stanford in 2007 before joining Michigan in 2008. He resigned as Rich Rodriguez’s defensive coordinator after one year in Ann Arbor.
He’ll add some valuable experience to a group that struggled in 2015. The Terps were 89th in total defense and 104th against the run.
Maryland will lose top-pass rusher Yannick Ngakoue, who finished second in the country in sacks, to the NFL. Shafer will also have to make up for the loss of Sean Davis, as well.
It remains to be seen whether or not D.J. Durkin will retain offensive coordinator/interim coach Mike Locksley on his staff.