Schaefer Joins Football Staff
1/4/2024 4:00:00 PM | Football
Joe Schaefer will join Syracuse head coach Fran Brown's staff as the defensive backs coach. He comes to the Orange after a two-year stint at Texas A&M.
"The opportunity to come here and work with Coach Fran is incredible," Schaefer said. "His ties to the area make this an exciting time. The relationship with Coach Robinson that I developed over the last two years, knowing the type of man he is, and how close he is with Coach Fran made this exciting for me. I'm thankful to all the coaches I've been around that allowed for me to have an opportunity like this."
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Schaefer started his tenure in College Station ahead of the 2022 season, and spent this past year coaching outside linebackers. Texas A&M ranked sixth in the SEC and finished the regular season 21st nationally in passing yards allowed, giving up 188.3 per game over the 12-game slate in 2023. Overall, the Aggies finished third in the conference and 19th nationally in total defense (316.2 ypg.).
The A&M defense was consistently in the backfield this season as well. The Aggies led the SEC and finished seventh nationally in sacks this season (3.23 per game) and were fifth nationally in tackles for loss (7.6 per game).
"Joe Schaefer is really intelligent and can see things from both sides of the football," Brown said. "He also understands how to make the backend and frontend match up. Not a lot of coaches can do that. He has unique ability when it comes to teaching and having people be able to gravitate towards him and understand what he's thinking and why he's thinking it. He's able to make the complicated really simple. He's a smart guy who has been a coordinator before and a high school head coach. I truly enjoy working with him."
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Prior to his time at Texas A&M, Schaefer served as the defensive coordinator at Youngstown State in 2020-21. He also mentored the Penguins' safeties. Youngstown State finished No. 25 nationally in total defense and No. 11 in the nation in passing yards allowed in 2020.
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Schaefer spent the 2018-19 campaigns at John Carroll University as the defensive coordinator. In his first season, the Blue Streaks' 5.19 sacks per game led Division III. In addition, John Carroll ranked 10th nationally in rushing defense. The next year, his team finished No. 8 in total defense and No. 4 in scoring defense.
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The Parma, Ohio native was the director of scouting at Iowa State for two season (2016-17). The Cyclones' 2017 recuring class was the top-ranked class in school history.
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Schaefer also served as a defensive quality control coach at Maryland (2016) and the head coach at his alma mater, Cleveland's Benedictine High School, where he won a state championship in 2014.
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After earning first team Division III All-Ohio honors as a linebacker, Schaefer played at Bowling Green, where he was a three-year letterman and a two-year starter for the Falcons. He recorded 44 tackles and four sacks in his final two seasons, helping Bowling Green to back-to-back GMAC Bowl appearances.
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Schaefer earned his bachelor's degree from Bowling Green in 2009.
He and his wife, Maura, have three children, a six-year-old daughter Mairin, a four-year-old son Joseph, and a newborn daughter Maela.
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"The opportunity to come here and work with Coach Fran is incredible," Schaefer said. "His ties to the area make this an exciting time. The relationship with Coach Robinson that I developed over the last two years, knowing the type of man he is, and how close he is with Coach Fran made this exciting for me. I'm thankful to all the coaches I've been around that allowed for me to have an opportunity like this."
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Schaefer started his tenure in College Station ahead of the 2022 season, and spent this past year coaching outside linebackers. Texas A&M ranked sixth in the SEC and finished the regular season 21st nationally in passing yards allowed, giving up 188.3 per game over the 12-game slate in 2023. Overall, the Aggies finished third in the conference and 19th nationally in total defense (316.2 ypg.).
The A&M defense was consistently in the backfield this season as well. The Aggies led the SEC and finished seventh nationally in sacks this season (3.23 per game) and were fifth nationally in tackles for loss (7.6 per game).
"Joe Schaefer is really intelligent and can see things from both sides of the football," Brown said. "He also understands how to make the backend and frontend match up. Not a lot of coaches can do that. He has unique ability when it comes to teaching and having people be able to gravitate towards him and understand what he's thinking and why he's thinking it. He's able to make the complicated really simple. He's a smart guy who has been a coordinator before and a high school head coach. I truly enjoy working with him."
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Prior to his time at Texas A&M, Schaefer served as the defensive coordinator at Youngstown State in 2020-21. He also mentored the Penguins' safeties. Youngstown State finished No. 25 nationally in total defense and No. 11 in the nation in passing yards allowed in 2020.
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Schaefer spent the 2018-19 campaigns at John Carroll University as the defensive coordinator. In his first season, the Blue Streaks' 5.19 sacks per game led Division III. In addition, John Carroll ranked 10th nationally in rushing defense. The next year, his team finished No. 8 in total defense and No. 4 in scoring defense.
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The Parma, Ohio native was the director of scouting at Iowa State for two season (2016-17). The Cyclones' 2017 recuring class was the top-ranked class in school history.
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Schaefer also served as a defensive quality control coach at Maryland (2016) and the head coach at his alma mater, Cleveland's Benedictine High School, where he won a state championship in 2014.
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After earning first team Division III All-Ohio honors as a linebacker, Schaefer played at Bowling Green, where he was a three-year letterman and a two-year starter for the Falcons. He recorded 44 tackles and four sacks in his final two seasons, helping Bowling Green to back-to-back GMAC Bowl appearances.
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Schaefer earned his bachelor's degree from Bowling Green in 2009.
He and his wife, Maura, have three children, a six-year-old daughter Mairin, a four-year-old son Joseph, and a newborn daughter Maela.
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