Maryland head football coach DJ Durkin announced Tuesday that he has hired Andy Buh as the team’s defensive coordinator.
Buh, who has previously served as the defensive coordinator at Stanford, Nevada and Cal, comes to Maryland from the University of Kentucky, where he’s been the outside linebackers coach since 2015 and was recently promoted to also serve as special teams coordinator. Durkin and Buh were on the same staff at Stanford in 2007.
“I’m excited that we were able to get a quality coach like Andy to join our staff,” said Durkin. “I’ve known Andy since our time at Stanford and I think he’s an excellent fit for our program. He brings with him a wealth of experience and I’m thrilled to have him on board.”
Buh (pronounced same as “boo”) brings 18 years of coaching experience with him and has helped engineer major turnarounds at Stanford and Nevada. His teams made four consecutive bowl appearances from 2009-12 and he’s sent numerous players to the National Football League.
“First I’d like to thank Mark Stoops, Mitch Barnhart and the entire Kentucky athletics department for the incredible opportunity they gave my family and I,” said Buh. “We’re extremely grateful to have been a part of a great community, university and football family at Kentucky and wish them the best.
“I’ve known Scott (Shafer) for many years. He’s one of the best defensive minds in our game and I wish him and his family the best moving forward. At the same time, I’m excited by this opportunity and to be reunited with a great friend and football coach in DJ Durkin. I can’t wait to meet the rest of the staff, players and people that make the University of Maryland great.”
While only at Kentucky for one season, Buh made an immediate impact. The Wildcats allowed just 198.1 yards per game through the air, ranking fifth in the SEC and Top 30 nationally in passing defense. Kentucky was also stingy in the red zone during Buh’s tenure, ranking fourth in the conference and 14th nationally by allowing opponents to score just 75 percent of the time. The Wildcats also forced nine fumbles in 2015, ranking fourth in the SEC.
Prior to Kentucky, Buh coached at the University of California where he was the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach in 2013. The Golden Bear defense was ravaged by injuries that year as 16 players from the team’s preseason two-deep were sidelined for a total of 109 games. A highlight was the performance of defensive lineman Deandre Coleman, who earned third-team All-Pac-12 honors and currently plays for the Miami Dolphins.
Buh was the linebackers coach at Wisconsin in 2012 and the UW defense ranked in the nation’s top 25 in several statistical categories. The Badgers were 15th in the nation in total defense (322.6 yards per game), 17th in scoring defense (19.1 points per game), 22nd in pass efficiency defense and 24th in rushing defense. Wisconsin was even better during the regular-season Big Ten contests, allowing just 18.3 points per game to rank second in the league.
Prior to Wisconsin, Buh was defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Nevada in 2010-11. In his first season, Buh helped lead Nevada to arguably the greatest season in school history with a 13-1 record, tying for the Western Athletic Conference championship and defeating Boston College in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl. Nevada ranked 31st in the nation in scoring defense (21.4 ppg) and 18th nationally in rushing defense at 120.3 yards per game. The Wolf Pack rated 24th nationally in sacks with 35 QB takedowns, 2.5 per game. Defensive end Dontay Moch had 22 tackles for loss, leading the WAC and rating 10th nationally with 1.57 TFL per game. Moch was a third-round draft pick by the Cincinnati Bengals and currently plays for the Atlanta Falcons. Buh’s success came after inheriting a unit that had ranked 91st nationally in total defense the year prior to his arrival.
Buh also was part of a major turnaround during his term at Stanford. He was linebackers coach in 2007 for a team that had gone 1-11 the year before. The 2007 squad improved to four wins, including one of the greatest upsets in college football history — as a 41-point underdog, the Cardinal scored a 24-23 road victory at Southern California. Buh was promoted by then-head coach Jim Harbaugh to co-defensive coordinator for his final two seasons. In 2009, Stanford played in the Sun Bowl, the school’s first bowl appearance since 2001, and had four players receive All-Pac-12 honors, including NFL All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman.
A native of Escondido, Calif., Buh played linebacker for two seasons at Palomar College before going on to play at Nevada in 1993-94. Buh graduated with a degree in physical education.
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