UPDATED: Dec. 5, 2015 at 1:43 p.m.

Dino Babers will be Syracuse’s next head football coach, the university announced Saturday. Babers comes from Bowling Green, where he served in the same role for the last two years.

He replaces Scott Shafer, who was fired Nov. 23. The 54-year-old Babers coached under Art Briles at Baylor and he’s implemented parts of the Bears’ high-octane offense at Bowling Green. Falcons quarterback Matt Johnson led the FBS in regular-season passing yards with 4,465 under Babers’ direction.

“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, but what attracted me to this position even more is the University’s intense focus on preparing its student-athletes for a lifetime of success,” Babers said in an SU Athletics release. “This is an incredible opportunity and one I am thrilled to have been offered.”

Babers first broke into coaching in 1984 as a graduate assistant at his alma mater Hawaii. He’s held 15 jobs since then, including separate gigs at seven different Power 5 conference schools. Before becoming the head coach at Bowling Green, Babers guided current New England Patriots backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo at Eastern Illinois.

Earlier in the week, he shut down reports that he was taking the Central Florida head coaching job. He said he wasn’t going anywhere and that he was focused on Friday night’s Mid-American Conference championship game against Northern Illinois. He did admit his mindset toward other jobs would change after Friday’s game, which ended up being a 34-14 win for Bowling Green.

Syracuse’s offense put up almost 28 points per game this season under offensive coordinator Tim Lester. Babers brings an enticing offensive background to a team who showed promise with a freshman and a walk-on under center for the vast majority of the season.

“We wanted a leader who had a proven track record and a strong commitment to student welfare,” SU Director of Athletics Mark Coyle said in the release. “Dino’s background as a former student-athlete combined with his head coaching experience, and dynamic offensive mind make him a great fit for our program.”

Babers’ introductory press conference will be Monday at 10 a.m.

Published on December 5, 2015 at 11:43 am

Contact Matt: mcschnei@syr.edu | @matt_schneidman