Syracuse Football: New head coach ‘will be a tremendous leader’ for ‘Cuse

Fran Brown, the new head coach of Syracuse football, has worked for some of the top coaches around the country in recent years, and those coaches are dishing out high praise for the New Jersey native.

SU Athletics announced on Tuesday that Brown, the defensive backs coach at Southeastern Conference powerhouse Georgia, would become the next head coach of the Orange, replacing Dino Babers.

National analysts note that Brown is arguably the country’s top recruiter, and his recruiting ties to New Jersey and throughout the Northeast are extremely important for Syracuse football, which will play in its second bowl game in as many seasons later this year.

Besides his time at Georgia, Brown has held positions on the collegiate level at Rutgers, Temple and Baylor.

Other college coaches weigh in on new Syracuse football head coach Fran Brown.

Brown joined the Georgia coaching staff in early 2022. The Bulldogs are the two-time defending national champions, and they are again in the current term one of the favorites to capture another title.

"In the SU Athletics press release announcing Brown’s hire as the next head coach of Syracuse football, Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said, “Fran is excellent. No ego, he’s trustworthy, smart and he’s worked really hard during his two seasons here to earn an opportunity like this. He has built great relationships in our building, our players love him and we couldn’t be more excited for him, (his wife) Teara and their family.”"

Matt Rhule is presently the head coach of Nebraska, and he previously served in the same role at both Temple and Baylor. Rhule said via cuse.com that he believes Brown will prove a “tremendous leader” of the Orange, and that’s awesome to hear.

"These next few quotes from Rhule are equally as fabulous. He said of Brown, “His commitment to improving the lives of the players he coaches will only be matched by his passion for coaching on the field. Syracuse will recruit elite talent, retain and develop those players, and produce a team that everyone can be proud of.”"

Before he headed to Georgia, Brown was the defensive backs coach at Rutgers for two stanzas under head coach Greg Schiano. Per SU Athletics, in his first campaign with the Scarlet Knights, the 2020 term, Brown guided a Rutgers secondary that helped create 19 turnovers, and that number was a whopping 10 more than the previous season.

Via cuse.com, Schiano said of Brown, “Syracuse University is getting both a dynamic coach and a great addition to their community. I’m elated for Fran and his whole family.”

Brown is clearly a top-notch recruiter. He’s gained valuable experience as an assistant in recent years under some excellent head coaches at some high-quality programs, most notably Georgia. Now Brown has his first head-coaching job, leading Syracuse football, and I’ll be curious to see the staff he ends up building around him.