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Former Johns Hopkins head coach Dave Pietramala has reportedly verbally agreed to become the next defensive coordinator for Syracuse men’s lacrosse, according to Inside Lacrosse.

Pietramala will succeed Lelan Rogers, who has held this position since 2007. In 20 seasons at Johns Hopkins, Pietramala led the Blue Jays to two national championships, one in 2005 and the other in 2007. Premier Lacrosse League midfielder Paul Rabil was a staple on both championship squads, including the 2005 team which went undefeated through 16 games.

Last season, Johns Hopkins tied for the 41st best scoring defense in the country, allowing 12.15 goals per game. Syracuse ranked 54th and conceded 183 goals, 25 more than the Blue Jays in the same amount of games. Johns Hopkins also successfully cleared the ball on 85.6% of attempts, securing 29.62 ground balls per game.

Throughout last season, Syracuse struggled defensively, allowing only 14.8 goals per game. The Orange’s worst defensive performance that season came in a 22-8 loss against then-No. 4 Note Dame at the end of the regular season. SU’s man-down defense faltered as the Orange ranked 60th in the country with a 50.9% success rate.

Pietramala is the first hire under new head coach Gary Gait, who made the switch from coaching the women’s program on June 6. Gait is just the fifth head coach in team history, succeeding John Desko, who led the Orange to five championships during his tenure.