Jon Hale

Louisville Courier Journal

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Just two days after UK head coach Mark Stoops raved about special teams coordinator Andy Buh’s new competition for players this spring, Buh is leaving UK for a spot on the Maryland staff as defensive coordinator.

“I want to thank Coach Buh for his work and his commitment to our program during his time here,” Stoops said in a statement Monday afternoon. “I have a lot of respect for Andy as he is extremely passionate and very detailed. He has good balance between being disciplined and having energy and our players loved playing for him. There is no doubt he will have success as a defensive coordinator and I wish Andy and his family the best.”

UK's release noted Buh resigned to take "another coaching position." Maryland has yet to officially announce his hire, but a source confirmed to The Courier-Journal the Maryland defensive coordinator position is the job Buh has accepted.

The Courier-Journal previously reported Buh had turned down a job as coordinator at a Power Five conference program in December, and he was promoted to special teams coordinator at UK in March. Buh, who also served as UK’s outside linebackers coach, was also awarded a raise from $200,000 to $325,000 per year in January.

Buh leaves UK after just one season in Lexington. He is the fifth assistant to depart the football staff since the end of the 2015 season. Former offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson and wide receivers coach Tommy Mainord were fired. Former running backs coach Chad Scott and defensive backs coach Derrick Ansley accepted jobs at North Carolina and Alabama respectively.

Before being promoted to special teams coordinator this spring, Buh was tasked with coaching the kickoff and punt teams in addition to the outside linebackers. It was his work in those areas that convinced Stoops to abandon his one-year plan of splitting the special teams responsibilities among his assistants instead of naming one coordinator.

“I’m very confident in particular with the units that are exposed the most: the coverage units, punt and kickoff,” Stoops said in an interview with The Courier-Journal and Lexington Herald-Leader in December. “I could not be more confident with coach Andy Buh and the way he coaches it. I don’t know if there’s a more passionate, thorough, disciplined, tough coach that I could find and name him special teams coordinator that would do that.”

Buh previously worked as a defensive coordinator at California, Nevada and Stanford. He worked with new Maryland head coach D.J. Durkin at Stanford.

The move comes eight practices into UK's 15-practice spring football session. UK offensive coordinator Eddie Gran and defensive backs coach Steve Clinkscale have previously worked as special teams coordinators and could help fill in for Buh in those areas until the end of spring. Stoops also hired former Kansas special teams coordinator Louie Matsakis as a special teams quality control coach in February.

Email Jon Hale atjahale@courier-journal.com. Follow him on Twitter@JonHale_CJ.