Buffalo hires ex-Eastern Michigan DC Brad McCaslin

Former Eastern Michigan defensive coordinator Brad McCaslin is a new defensive analyst and personnel assistant for Buffalo, according to a source.

Former Eastern Michigan defensive coordinator Brad McCaslin is a new defensive analyst and personnel assistant for Buffalo coach Lance Leipold, according to a source.

It's a reuniting of McCaslin and Leipold, who previously worked together at Nebraska-Omaha from 1997–2000 and from ’04–06. McCaslin was Eastern Michigan's defensive coordinator the past two seasons before being dismissed in late December.

Prior to that, he was Drake's defensive coordinator for two seasons. Under him, the Bulldogs were fifth in the FCS in rushing defense (94.9 yards per game), 10th in scoring defense (19.5 points per game) and 11th in total defense (319.6 yards per game) in 2013.

That was after McCaslin spent 14 seasons at Nebraska-Omaha. He was the now-defunct NCAA Division II team's defensive coordinator the last six of those seasons. He was also associate head coach his final three seasons. Before that, he served as Nebraska-Omaha's defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator.

A Cheyenne, Wyo., native, McCaslin got his start in college coaching with Nebraska-Omaha as a graduate assistant from 1997–99. He was an assistant at Benson High in Omaha from ’95–96 after his standout career as a wide receiver at Hastings College.

McCaslin joins a Buffalo program that went 5–7 last year in Leipold’s debut season. Leipold had a 109–6 record in his previous job at Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he won the NCAA Division III national championship in six of his eight seasons.

Buffalo returns 11 starters from last season, plus redshirt senior running back Jordan Johnson, who rushed for 811 yards and a team-high 12 touchdowns in 2015.