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The running theory for some time now is that when Gus Bradley was fired as head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Doug Marrone would be elevated from Assistant HC/OL Coach to the head role. Well, Bradley was fired over the weekend and the Jags have announced Marrone as his interim replacement to little surprise.
Assistant Head Coach-Offense/Offensive Line Coach Doug Marrone named interim Head Coach.
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) December 19, 2016
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It would’ve been super awkward if Hackett had gotten the nod over Marrone but it seems logical that Nate was promoted to OC because that’s his best role while Marrone was passed over there because he makes more sense here.
Meanwhile, Marrone’s former DC and eventual replacement at Syracuse, Scott Shafer, appears to be back in the mix for a new job next season. You might remember Shafe quickly took the DC role at Maryland after his Syracuse stint but then left early in the preseason for personal reasons.
CoachingSearch.com (via Syracuse.com) says Shafer is "in the mix for multiple defensive coordinator positions.”
Shafer spent the 2016 season watching son Wolfgang play at Ithaca and also acting as a consultant on that team’s head coaching search. It’ll be interesting to see where he ends up, if he does indeed come back to coaching. Shafer certainly proved himself as a DC and has the pedigree to take on a lot of potential jobs.
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With Marrone’s (interim) spot already settled, we’ll see where Shafer ends up this offseason. If the move happens soon, it may also provide some hints about where a few Orange players transfer to as well.