Syracuse football hiring Fran Brown as new head coach

One of the nation’s best recruiters is coming to Salt City!

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

After just 10 days, the Syracuse Orange have concluded their search for the football program’s 32nd head coach. The man they’ve decided on brings a very impressive resume with him.

Fran Brown, a Camden, New Jersey native, will take his first Division 1 head coaching job with SU, according to a report by 247Sports’ Matt Zenitz.

Football Scoop reported that Brown emerged after meeting with the five-person committee who interviewed candidates. It was also reported that Donovan McNabb, along with Syracuse administrators Herm Frazier and Torrey Ball (who played under Doug Marrone), were part of the committee vetting candidates.

Brown has been the Defensive Backs Coordinator for Georgia the past two seasons, helping to build and maintain one of the nation’s best defenses while also winning the 2022-23 National Championship. The Bulldogs are allowing less than 180 yards of passing per game this season in their attempt to three-peat, also riding a 29-game winning streak in the process.

Before that, Brown was the secondary coach at Rutgers - working on the same staff as interim head coach Nunzio Campanile. He’s also held assistant positions on the Temple (2013-2016) and Baylor (2017-2018) defensive staffs.

Fran returned to Temple for one season in 2019 as the co-defensive coordinator. That defense which he helped coach produced five NFL talents - one of the best in school history.

Brown was a defensive back at FCS Western Carolina University from 2003-2006, closing things out with a First Team All-SoCon award as a team captain. He also briefly appeared with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2007 & 2008.

John Wildhack stressed hiring someone with connections to the northeast - and Brown checks that box easily. He recruited three 2020 draft picks from New Jersey: cornerback Harrison Hand (5th round) and linebackers Shaun Bradley (6th) and Chapelle Russell (7th).

Alijah Clark teased this announcement via a since-deleted Tweet - and it’s worth noting that not only do they share the same hometown, but Brown was the one who originally convinced Cinco to stay in Jersey with the Scarlet Knights. Based on the history, keeping that avenue into the Tri-State Area shouldn’t be difficult.

But while winning the regional recruiting battles are important, hitting the hotbeds of the DMV and the Southeast are even more so. Fortunately, Brown’s also had success in both.

Christian Braswell, a 2023 6th rounder, joined Brown at Rutgers in 2021. Nate Hairston and Tavon Young were Brown’s first big hits in Philly, and both were drafted by the Ravens a year apart (2016 & 2017). All three originated from in or near Washington D.C.

More recently, Fran has been killing it as one of the lead voices in Athens. He compiled the #8 individual recruiting class of 2023 according to 247Sports, and next year’s crop of Dawgs under his leash is the #1-rated group in the country. He was also the #25 recruiter in his last year at Rutgers, so this isn’t a completely new development.

There will, of course, be questions. Brown has no experience calling plays - in theory, the OC will handle that duty to start. There’s no guarantee that he can replicate, even partially, the recent success he’s had on the recruiting trail of the south.

But it’s a far cry from blind loyalty.

With the whirlwind of speculation over Dan Mullen, then Bob Chesney, it is a relief to have our definitive answer. I for one am extremely excited to learn Brown’s vision for the Orange; let’s all hear him out on that much.

Welcome to Syracuse Fran!