Scott Shafer hired as Middle Tennessee defensive coordinator, will return to the Carrier Dome on Sept. 9

Former Syracuse Orange football head coach Scott Shafer has been hired as Middle Tennessee’s defensive coordinator, MTSU athletics announced on Friday. Shafer will return to the Carrier Dome next season when Middle Tennessee visits Syracuse on Sept. 9.

“We are all very excited about Scott and his wife Missy joining the Blue Raider family," MTSU head coach Rick Stockstill said in a pres release. "Scott brings a wealth of experience as a defensive coordinator and we can't wait until he gets started and puts his plan in place. He will have a positive impact on the program and university as our defensive coordinator."

Shafer spent seven seasons with the Orange, serving as Syracuse’s defensive coordinator for four years before taking over as head coach from 2013-2015 following former head coach Doug Marrone’s departure.

Shafer was fired in November 2015 after compiling a 14-23 record in his three years at the helm. The highlight of Shafer’s tenure came in his first year when he led SU to a 7-6 season capped off with a 2013 Texas Bowl win over Minnesota.

He’ll now be tasked with trying to stop a completely reinvented Syracuse offense under new head coach Dino Babers.

“I am elated to join Coach Stockstill and his accomplished staff at Middle Tennessee State University,” Shafer said. “We will put a physical, attacking, multiple defense on the field that will excel in fundamentals and tackling. I look forward to teaching the system right away, preparing them for spring practice, and being with them through this critical first stage of football.”

After being fired by Syracuse, Shafer briefly served as Maryland’s defensive coordinator before resigning in the spring for personal reasons. He spent the majority of this past year out of football.