Mike Buscemi starts his second season with the Pirates and will include the inside receivers to his coaching duties in 2019 along with special teams coordinator. He previously served at Duke University as the defensive quality control coach.
In 2018, his special teams unit included punter Ivan Oraha averaging just under 40 yards per punt while freshman Evan Lomax put 11 of his 50 kickoffs into the end zone and average over 55 yards per kick.
During his first year at Duke, Buscemi worked with a defense that produced three All-ACC selections and a Freshman All-America honoree in linebacker Joe Giles-Harris. Duke’s defense had three tabbed as ACC Players of the Week and redshirt senior defensive tackle A.J. Wolf repeated as a First Team CoSIDA Academic All-America honoree. The defense played a key role in wins over Notre Dame and North Carolina, helping Duke to 10 points off Fighting Irish turnovers in a 38-35 victory and causing two Tar Heel interceptions in a 28-27 victory. North Carolina totaled just six points, 147 total yards and one third down conversion in four attempts during the second half as the Blue Devils earned their first top-15 win since 1994. Nationally, Duke finished fourth in fourth-down conversion percentage defense (.250), 11th in first downs allowed (216) and 37th in sacks per game (2.42).
Buscemi came to Durham after spending three seasons as the special teams coach at UCF. In 2015, he added director of player personnel duties to his role with the Knights.
During the 2015 season, the Knights led the American Athletic Conference and ranked 10th nationally in net punting while ranking among the league’s top five in both kickoff return average and kickoff return average defense. Also, kicker Matthew Wright converted 13-of-17 field goals.
En route to a 9-4 record, second straight AAC championship and berth in the Bitcoin St. Petersburg Bowl in 2014, UCF led the AAC and ranked third nationally in kickoff return average as Michael Easton recorded a 96-yard return for a touchdown against SMU and Rannell Hall averaged a team-best 27.5 yards per return. Additionally, kicker Shawn Moffitt ended his career as UCF’s all-time scoring leader, amassing 314 points.
UCF’s special teams units helped the Knights to a 12-1 record, a No. 10 final national ranking, a league title and a victory in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl in 2013. Along the way, the Knights earned their first wins over top-10 teams (Baylor and Louisville) as well as their first triumphs against Big Ten Conference (Penn State) and Big 12 Conference (Baylor) programs.
A Lou Groza Award semifinalist, Moffitt set a school single-season record with 21 field goals in 2013 en route to leading the team with 112 total points.
A long snapper at UCF from 2004-07, Buscemi earned All-Conference USA honors in his final two seasons. After his collegiate career, the Plantation, Fla., native stayed on with the Knights as an offensive graduate assistant from 2008-09. Buscemi then transitioned to North Carolina where he served as a quality control assistant from 2010-11 and helped the Tar Heels to a pair of bowl games (2010 Music City & 2011 Independence).
While at Pittsburgh in 2012, Buscemi helped the Panthers to the BBVA Compass Bowl while ranking 17th in the nation in total defense, 23rd in scoring defense, 20th in passing defense and 31st in rushing defense.
Buscemi earned a degree in criminal justice from UCF in 2006 and later received a master’s degree in sports and fitness in 2008. He is married to the former Meme Diaz and the couple has one son, James Michael.
