Scott Shafer is stepping down as Maryland's defensive coordinator due to personal reasons, coach DJ Durkin announced Friday.
"I want to thank DJ Durkin for the opportunity to be on his staff, but at this time I feel it's best to step aside to tend to personal matters," Shafer said in a statement. "I'm sincerely appreciative of his support and friendship."
Shafer was one of Durkin's first hires at Maryland, and his addition to the coaching staff was announced Dec. 9. Durkin and Shafer worked together at Stanford in 2007, and Shafer came to College Park after spending three years as the coach at Syracuse, making him one of three former head coaches on the staff of Durkin, a first-year coach.
"I, along with the entire Maryland football family, will continue to support Scott in every way that we can," Durkin said in a statement.
Maryland will begin a national search to find Shafer's replacement.
Shafer boasted a track record of quickly turning around struggling defenses, with nearly every defense that he oversaw improving in his first year as its defensive coordinator. He was also looking forward to moving back into an assistant role.
"I'm really excited for it," Shafer said in January. "I'm almost giddy."
Through winter workouts and spring practice, Shafer had made an early impression on the players, with his high-energy approach fitting in with the rest of Durkin's staff.
"Everyone's a livewire, but Coach Shafer's great," defensive end Roman Braglio said in March. "He's a great guy, great coach and offers a lot of information for players."
"Thoughts and prayers for @Coach_Shafer," Maryland quarterback Caleb Rowe tweeted Friday afternoon. "Once a Terp always a Terp!"
In addition to coaching together under current Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh at Stanford, Durkin and Shafer were both from Northeast Ohio. Durkin, 38, is a Youngstown native, while Shafer, 49, is from Painesville. Despite their age difference, Shafer felt he and Durkin were similarly aligned, in part because of their background.
"We connected really fast," Shafer said in January. "It was just an extremely natural process. We're both from Northeast Ohio. We both have really similar values and mindset on what football is supposed to be. When I was looking for a job after Syracuse, DJ called and asked me if I'd be interested, and I told him, 'Hell yeah.'"
Shafer replaced Keith Dudzinski, who spent 2015 as Maryland's defensive coordinator, after he was not retained by Durkin.
Shafer spent four years as defensive coordinator at Syracuse before becoming head coach. Before that, he had defensive coordinator stops at Michigan (2008), Stanford (2007), Western Michigan (2005-06), and Northern Illinois (2000-03). He was a college quarterback at Baldwin-Wallace in Ohio.
Shafer was on a three-year contract worth $750,000 annually.
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