Syracuse hires former Georgia DB coach Fran Brown as head coach
Syracuse has hired former Georgia defensive backs coach Fran Brown as its head coach, the university announced Tuesday. Here’s what you need to know:
- The New Jersey native spent the past two seasons on the Bulldogs’ staff.
- Brown was Rutgers’ secondary coach from 2020 to 2021. The Western Carolina grad also previously coached at Temple and Baylor.
- Holy Cross head coach Bob Chesney and Toledo’s Jason Candle were also considered for the job, according to school sources.
- Syracuse fired coach Dino Babers with one game remaining this season after spending eight seasons with the Orange and amassing a 41-55 record.
Brown ➡️ Orange@FranBrownUGA is the 31st head coach in Syracuse football history.
More: https://t.co/LtWtFVGMcf pic.twitter.com/mqUOCTg8Di
— Syracuse Football (@CuseFootball) November 28, 2023
What they’re saying
“I am incredibly proud to be leading Syracuse Football at a university with a rich and storied tradition of academic and athletic excellence,” Brow said in a statement Tuesday. “Syracuse Football has outstanding talent, great facilities and passionate alumni. The success of the players is my No. 1 priority—on and off the field. I want my guys to succeed in life, because they played football at Syracuse.
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“My immediate area of focus is building relationships with my current players and putting together an elite staff, while also having fun on the recruiting trail. I’m ready to get to work and look forward to building something special for our fans.”
Syracuse athletic director John Wildhack spoke highly of Brown on Tuesday, saying, “Fran is an outstanding coach, recruiter and person, and exactly who we need to take Syracuse Football to the next level.”
“Fran has clearly articulated a vision for the future of our football program,” Wildhack continued. “And he is a powerhouse recruiter with deep ties to the geographies from where we need to draw consistently. Fran has had tremendous success recruiting to a variety of programs — in the South, Southwest and Northeast, and I have no doubt he will bring that track record here to Syracuse. I am looking forward to welcoming Fran and his family to the Orange community”
How Brown could impact Syracuse
Brown was an out-of-nowhere hire for Georgia two years ago but has shown why Kirby Smart wanted him: Recruiting, both in the secondary and in the Northeast. Brown was a key recruiter for five-star athlete Ellis Robinson, the third overall prospect in the 2024 cycle, who is now at IMG Academy in Florida, as well as five-star linebacker Justin Williams from Texas and four-star offensive lineman Jordan Thomas out of Calhoun, N.J.
On the field, Georgia’s secondary is the strength of its defense, which isn’t just due to Brown, as Will Muschamp and Smart both help coach there, but Brown is a big part of that. Brown has also been one of the voices in the defensive coaching room as far as strategy, with Smart saying last year, “Everybody chips in a little bit because we think that multiple voices develop coaches and multiple voices are heard better by the audience.”
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Still, is this a bit of a reach for Syracuse? Probably. But Brown isn’t even the first Georgia position coach to get a power conference job: Sam Pittman went from offensive line coach to Arkansas head coach despite no head-coaching experience, and like Brown that was a case of a good fit.
While Arkansas struggled this year, Pittman’s first three years there were an improvement, and it’s not unreasonable to think Brown can take what he’s seen work at Georgia the past two years and use it in the ACC. — Seth Emerson, Georgia football writer
Backstory
Brown is currently ranked as the nation’s No. 1 recruiter for the 2024 signing class, according to 247Sports. The 40-year-old has six players committed for the upcoming class, including two five-star prospects.
Required reading
(Photo: Mark J. Rebilas / USA Today)
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