Syracuse names Scott Shafer as head coach

Scott Shafer will be the next head football coach of Syracuse University, the school announced Wednesday morning.

“I look forward to representing the hard-nosed city of Syracuse and the great state of New York as the head coach of Syracuse University,” Shafer said in a release. “We will go to work every day to put a quality product on the field as we storm our way into the Atlantic Coast Conference. We are very motivated to start preparing for the 2013 campaign with our current team and incoming student-athletes.”

» Related: Reaction to Shafer’s promotion

Shafer had been SU’s defensive coordinator since 2009. In 2010, the defense was No. 7 in the nation, and gave up just 19.3 points per game.

“Scott Shafer is an experienced, intelligent, motivating coach who has dedicated his life to coaching and developing college student-athletes,” Syracuse athletics director Daryl Gross said. “I can’t think of a coach in America who is more deserving of having an opportunity to be a head coach.”

» Related: Analysis of Shafer’s promotion

Shafer takes over for Doug Marrone, who accepted the Buffalo Bills head coaching position on Sunday. But he’ll have to do so without offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, who followed Marrone to Buffalo.

Multiple reports from ESPN and CBSSports.com confirmed the hiring on Monday night. Bruce Feldman was the first to report the story.

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About Wes Cheng 2907 Articles
Wes has worked for Rivals.com covering the New York Knicks, as well as for Scout.com covering Syracuse athletics. Wes has also been a contributing writer for the South China Morning Post (Hong Kong), for SportsNet New York (SNY) as a news desk writer covering all of New York professional sports, and reported on the NBA and MLB for the New York Sportscene. A native of Long Island, New York, Wes graduated from Syracuse University in 2005 with a degree in journalism. Contact him at wes[at]sujuiceonline.com.