Syracuse University head football coach Doug Marrone today named Scott Shafer defensive coordinator and Kevin Van Derzee director of football operations. Shafer brings nine years of experience as a defensive coordinator and 16 years in the coaching profession to the Orange. He has coached 19 all-conference performers during his coaching career and had four players earn All-America accolades. Van Derzee returns to Upstate New York after having spent the last nine years in the athletics profession, including as the director of high school relations for football at the University of Tennessee and as the director of football operations at Richmond, Central Connecticut State University and Massachusetts.
"I am very excited to have Scott and Kevin joining us," Marrone said. "Scott is a veteran defensive play caller who has an attacking defensive style and Kevin brings a tremendous amount of organizational experience and is very familiar with our area and the University."
Shafer becomes Syracuse's defensive coordinator after serving in the same capacity at the University of Michigan in 2008 and at Stanford University in 2007. He was also an assistant head coach at Stanford in 2007 where he coordinated a defense that improved in every NCAA defensive statistical category from the previous season. The Cardinal defense recorded its first shutout in more than a decade and the team improved from 1-11 in 2006 to 4-7 in 2007, including an upset of then-top ranked Southern California on the road.
"I am excited to join the Syracuse family," Shafer said. "Doug's reputation in the coaching world is extremely high and I look forward to working with him to bring the Syracuse program back to national prominence."
A native of Ravena, N.Y., Van Derzee graduated from the State University of New York at Cortland in 2000. At Cortland he was a football student manager as a freshman and a football student coach for three years, coaching the special teams for the varsity squad and coaching the junior varsity. His father, Gary, is the president of New York State's Section 2 Football and has been the head coach at Ravena High School since 1983, where he has won four Section II Class B titles and eight division titles.
"In New York state, Syracuse athletics are what people know about," Van Derzee said. "For me to grow up watching the Orange and now to be part of the program is an awesome responsibility. It is very exciting."
The Shafer Profile
Prior to his year at Stanford, Shafer was the defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach at Western Michigan for two years (2005-06). He played a key role in one of the biggest turnarounds in Broncos' history as WMU went from 1-11 in 2004 to 7-4 in Shafer's first year and then 8-4 in 2006, when the Broncos earned an invitation to the International Bowl. In 2006, Shafer's defensive unit led the nation in interceptions (24) and sacks (46), and finished sixth in run defense, seventh in turnover margin, 11th in total defense and 14th in opponent 3rd down conversions. The Broncos' rush defense (76.1 avg.) set a Mid-American Conference record for fewest rushing yards per game and led the league in six defensive statistical categories in 2006. Shafer was a nominee for the Broyles Award that season as the nation's top assistant coach.
Prior to joining the Western Michigan staff, Shafer was the defensive backs coach at Illinois in 2004, where he coached cornerback Kelvin Hayden, who led the Big Ten in interceptions and was drafted in the second round by the Indianapolis Colts.
Shafer worked at Northern Illinois University for eight seasons (1996-2003), including the last four as defensive coordinator. He was the defensive backs coach during his entire tenure at NIU and mentored 13 All-MAC selections.
Shafer was named defensive coordinator in 2000 and helped propel the Huskies to a 30-16 record during a four-year span and two MAC West Division championships (2001, 2002), posting the school's first 10-win season in 2003, the first in more than 20 years. The 2003 team was ranked as high as No. 12 in the AP polls and had three victories against BCS teams. Shafer's 2003 squad ranked third nationally in interceptions (23) and in the top three in the MAC in every defensive category and he had five all-conference defensive players. In 2002, the Huskies led the MAC in every defensive category.
Shafer, who began his coaching career began as a graduate assistant coach at Indiana University (1991-92) working with the quarterbacks, wide receivers and tight ends, secured his first full-time coaching position at the University of Rhode Island in 1993. He coached the secondary for three seasons, including in 1995 when the Rams won the 1995 New England Division title.
A native of Painesville, Ohio, Shafer graduated from Baldwin-Wallace College (1990) with a degree in education and earned his master's degree at Indiana (1993). He played one season at Ohio University (1985) before transferring to Baldwin-Wallace (1986-90). At Baldwin-Wallace, Shafer quarterbacked the offense that ranked 17th nationally in pass efficiency and served as a team captain.
Shafer and his wife, Missy, have a son, Wolfgang and a daughter, Elsa.
The Van Derzee Profile
Before moving to Tennessee, Van Derzee was the director of football operations at the University of Richmond from 2006-2008, where he was responsible for managing the recruiting budget, serving as a liaison with compliance, admissions, financial aid and housing services, coordinating high school and youth football camps and supervising the intern program.
As the director of football operations at Central Connecticut State University from 2004 to 2006, Van Derzee was responsible for the administrative aspects of the program and also served as the Executive Director of CCSU' Blue Devil Touchdown Club established to raise additional funds for the Blue Devil football program. He was responsible for planning the first football team banquet, ring ceremony and golf tournament.
Prior to working for the Blue Devils, Van Derzee worked as a Gameday Operations Associate for the Wilmington Sharks (Coastal Plains Summer League) in Wilmington, N.C. for two seasons in 2003 and 2004. From 2001-03, he worked as the University of Massachusetts' Director of Football Operations. While in Amherst, Mass., Van Derzee developed the First Annual Football Alumni Golf Outing and created and oversaw the operations intern program.
Van Derzee started his career in athletics working in the New York Giants player personnel department as an intern in 2000 and 2001, where he coordinated free agent invitations and tryouts. He was the defensive ends coach at the University of Albany in 2000.
