With its season-opening tilt less than four weeks away and a Week 2 showdown against Miami looming the following Saturday, Texas A&M has finalized its staff.
Joe Schaefer, a well-regarded defensive mind who also has head coaching experience at the high school level, was elevated from his defensive analyst role into a full-time defensive assistant position by Aggies head coach Jimbo Fisher.
Schafer fills the spot vacated by the tragic passing of beloved former defensive line coach Terry Price, who died in late June.
Already assisting in off-the-field efforts on the defensive side of the ball for the Aggies, Schaefer has previously been a defensive coordinator at the collegiate level; he ran the defenses at Football Championship Subdivision traditional power Youngstown State, and he also coordinated the defensive show at NCAA Division III program John Carroll University in Ohio. It also was in the Buckeye State where Schaefer previously served as a prep head coach.
Texas A&M defensive coordinator DJ Durkin also is no stranger to Schaefer, who served on Durkin's Maryland staff as a defensive quality control coach for the Terps.
The Aggies open their 2023 season Sept. 2 against New Mexico, and they travel a week later for an intersectional, non-conference clash at Mario Cristobal's Miami Hurricanes program.