Syracuse University announced on Monday morning that head football coach Scott Shafer has been relieved of his duties, effective following the regular season finale against Boston College on Saturday. Shafer is just 6-17 overall since his first year at the helm in 2013 where he led the Orange to a 7-6 record.
Since a 3-0 start to the season, Syracuse has lost eight straight games heading into their final game of 2015 on Saturday. They have fallen victim to not only injuries across their entire offense, but also to an ineffective defense that has allowed over 32 points per game to date. The Orange have stayed competitive in a couple of different games this season, most notably in week four against LSU, but have struggled mightily at the quarterback position since losing senior quarterback Terrel Hunt to a torn Achilles early in the year.
Mark Coyle, Syracuse’s first year athletic director released the following statement on Monday:
“I want to thank Scott, his wife Missy, and their family for their seven years of dedication and service to SU athletics and Syracuse University. Scott worked tirelessly to educate our students on and off the field and to build our program. However, I feel that a change in leadership is needed at this time.”
Syracuse is now the 13th head coaching vacancy in college football, and is already the third school in the ACC that will make a new hire to football leadership before next season. With Virginia potentially becoming the next shoe to drop within the next week or so, it is shaping up to be an eventful off-season for teams throughout the Atlantic Coast Conference.
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