Syracuse football hires new defensive coordinator

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Syracuse University head football coach Dino Babers on Friday announced the hiring of Tony White as the team’s defensive coordinator.

White served as the cornerbacks coach and defensive passing game coordinator at Arizona State (ASU) for the past two seasons. He arrives in Syracuse after a short stint as the Sun Devils’ defensive coordinator, a position he was appointed to in December.

White ran the defense in ASU’s 20-14 victory over Florida State in the 2019 Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl, a game in which the Sun Devils shut out the Seminoles for nearly three quarters and scored a defensive touchdown.

“Tony has coached in some elite defenses during his career and we’re happy that he, [and his family, including] Angela, Anthony III and Ava are now part of the Syracuse family,” Babers said in a statement.

White’s hiring followed the sudden departure of Zach Arnett, who left the Syracuse program for a similar role with Mississippi State University of the Southeastern Conference.

Syracuse had announced the hiring of Arnett — the former defensive coordinator for San Diego State University — on Jan. 11.

Syracuse describes White as a “disciple of defensive guru” [and former San Diego State head coach] Rocky Long and a two-time Scout.com Mountain West Recruiter of the Year award recipient.

“My family and I are thankful to Coach Babers and [Director of Athletics] John Wildhack for this opportunity,” White said. “To be able to coach at a first-class institution like Syracuse University is a great honor. Coach Babers and his staff have a vision for this program and I’m committed to helping them make it a reality.”

In White’s two seasons at Arizona State, the Sun Devils allowed just 13 passing plays of more than 40 yards – “a marked improvement” over the 34 such plays ASU gave up in the two years before White got to Tempe, Syracuse said. The Sun Devil secondary made “dramatic gains” in White’s first year, climbing 50 spots in the NCAA’s passing-defense rankings. That growth continued in 2019, as ASU finished the year 12th in the country with 65 passes defended.

Prior to his arrival at ASU, White “cemented himself as one of the nation’s top rising” assistant coaches during a nine-year stint (2009-17) at San Diego State under the mentorship of Long. While helping the Aztec secondary consistently rank as one of the “elite” groups in the nation, White was named the Scout.com Mountain West Recruiter of the Year twice (2011, 2013). He was also recognized as the top recruiter among non-Power-Five schools in 2014 by Rivals.com.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com