COLLEGE PARK — Maryland football on Tuesday named former University of Kentucky outside linebackers coach Andy Buh as the program’s new defensive coordinator.
Join us in welcoming Coach Andy Buh to the Maryland Family! pic.twitter.com/mroIzAuHzW
— Maryland Football (@TerpsFootball) April 5, 2016
Scott Shafer, the former Syracuse Orange head coach, unexpectedly stepped down as the Terps’ defensive coordinator on Friday “to tend to personal matters.”
Keeping consistent with his whirlwind of hiring in December, it took just four days for Maryland coach DJ Durkin to fill the hole in his coaching staff.
“There was only one phone call I made,” Durkin said in a press conference, referring to Buh (pronounced “Boo”). “There was only one person I spoke to about this job and that was it.”
Buh worked with Durkin on Jim Harbaugh’s coaching staff at Stanford University in 2007 and was promoted to co-defensive coordinator in 2009. Before making his way to College Park, Buh served as defensive coordinator at the University of Nevada, Reno, in 2010-11 and at the University of California, Berkeley, in 2013.
While Buh was at Stanford and Nevada, the programs experienced significantly improved to 12-1 and 13-1 records, respectively. After a tumultuous 3-9 season, Terrapins fans surely hope those are indicative of the improvements that will follow Buh to College Park.
Aside from being Durkin’s longtime colleague and friend, Buh’s defensive philosophies align with the blue-collar, hard-work ethic Durkin is building at Maryland.
“We are an attack-style of defense,” Buh told reporters. “We want to maximize the talent here on this roster first, develop these guys into fierce competitors and then attack.”
The Terrapins should not skip a beat because Buh is familiar with Durkin’s defensive philosophy, and the coaching change came during spring practices, not closer to the start of the season. Durkin also said Buh’s ability to build relationships with players off the field will help make the transition as seamless as possible.
“He is a great coach on field, but really more than that – just what he brings to the table in terms of off the field and the type of person he is and dealing with our players day-in and day-out,” Durkin said.