Former Benedictine High School football coach Joe Schaefer is set to join the football staff at the University of Maryland, WKYC Sports has learned from multiple sources within the Northeast Ohio coaching community.
All sources spoke with the condition of anonymity, given that the hiring has yet to be announced.
Neither Schaefer nor Benedictine athletic director Chris Lorber would confirm or deny the news.
Lorber announced Schaefer’s resignation as the Bengals’ gridiron leader on February 5, citing the coach’s desire to pursue additional opportunities.
Schaefer played for new Maryland head coach DJ Durkin as a college student-athlete at Bowling Green State University. Schaefer, a 2004 Benedictine alum, continued his football career as a defensive end for the Falcons from 2004-08 while obtaining a bachelor’s in education.
Durkin, who was hired as Maryland’s 36th head football coach on December 2, coached BGSU's defensive ends in 2005 and served as the Falcons' special teams’ coordinator in 2006 while also overseeing the team's linebackers.
Schaefer, who became Benedictine’s 18th head football coach in March 2013, posted a 35-6 record at the helm and led the Bengals to the Division IV state title in 2014.
Check back with WKYC.com as more information becomes available.
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