Bowling Green head coach Dino Babers will is the new head coach at Syracuse, the school announced Saturday. Babers’ Falcons won the MAC title on Friday night in a strong 34-14 win over Northern Illinois.
Syracuse hiring Dino Babers, bringing the Baylor system to the ACC
The Orange may have just pulled one of the best hires of the year.
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This is a great hire for Syracuse, which was rated as one of the most-challenged job openings this year by SB Nation staff. The Orange have a history of success, but haven't been a major player on the national scene for the better part of two decades. Babers' resume shows that he can get offenses firing in short order, so there's reason to hope Syracuse can turn things around after going 4-8 in 2015.
“It is a true honor to have been selected to lead Syracuse University football, a program steeped in rich tradition, excellence, and success, both on and off the field,” said Babers in a statement. “There were many coaching opportunities out there, but none more attractive or exciting than this one. I’ve always admired Syracuse Football’s scrappy demeanor, grit, and winning mentality.”
Syracuse fired Scott Shafer on Nov. 23 after he went 3-13 against ACC teams over the past two years. The culture change going from old school, grind-it-out coach like Shafer to someone like Babers should be enormous.
A former Hawaii running back and defensive back who bounced between jobs for much of the beginning of his career, Babers latched onto Art Briles's Baylor staff in 2008, coaching wide receivers and special teams. He was hired as the head coach of FCS Eastern Illinois prior to the 2012 season, leading the Panthers to back-to-back Ohio Valley Conference titles. Babers's explosive offense style was on display his second year at EIU; with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, the Panthers went 8-0 in conference play and advanced to the FCS quarterfinals.
Babers took his high-powered offense to Bowling Green prior to the 2014 season, winning the MAC title this year and the MAC East the last two years, all while possessing one of the most efficient and explosive offenses in the country. Falcons quarterback Matt Johnson leads the nation with 4,700 passing yards and 43 touchdowns.
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