Syracuse football is eyeing an assistant coach at a fellow Empire State school as the team’s next linebacker coach, according to a media report.
"Per a post on X by ESPN’s Pete Thamel, “Syracuse is expected to hire Buffalo defensive coordinator Robert Wright as the school’s linebacker coach, who is expected to have a big role in the defense. Buffalo head coach Maurice Linguist will continue to call Buffalo’s defensive plays, as he did in 2023.”"
Wright, in the 2023 season, was in his first term as the defensive coordinator at Buffalo, which is a member of the Mid-American Conference. The Bulls, by the way, struggled in 2023, going 3-9 overall and 3-5 in conference play.
Source: Syracuse is expected to hire Buffalo defensive coordinator Robert Wright as the school's linebacker coach, who is expected to have a big role in the defense. Buffalo head coach Maurice Linguist will continue to call Buffalo's defensive plays, as he did in 2023.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) December 9, 2023
According to the Buffalo athletic department Web site, Wright headed to the Bulls from fellow Atlantic Coast Conference squad Duke, where he served as a senior defensive analyst in 2022 and helped guide the Blue Devils to a 9-4 record in that stanza.
Syracuse football keeps on building out its coaching staff with strong hires.
Other prior college coaching stints for Wright included at Iowa State, Texas A&M, Illinois and ACC member Miami. He played one season of football for the Hurricanes, earning a bachelor’s degree from Miami and a master’s degree from Illinois.
Another new ‘Cuse assistant coach also has ties to Texas A&M. Elijah Robinson, who will be the new defensive coordinator for the Orange, is currently the interim head coach and co-defensive coordinator with the Aggies.
This past Monday, SU Athletics officially introduced Fran Brown as the new head coach of Syracuse football. Brown, most recently the defensive backs coach at Georgia, is long-time friends with Robinson, and they grew up together in Camden, N.J.
Besides Brown, Robinson and Wright, other members of the Orange coaching staff are expected to include:
•Nick Williams as the team’s defensive ends coach. Most recently, he was the defensive line coach at Colorado.
•Devin Redd as an assistant wide receivers coach. He had been the wide receivers coach at Delaware State.
•Nunzio Campanile, the Syracuse football interim head coach and tight ends coach, will remain on the ‘Cuse staff, but his role hasn’t been disclosed, as far as I can tell.
•Thamel has reported via X that Jeff Nixon is being targeted by the Orange as its next offensive coordinator. Nixon is the running backs coach of the NFL’s New York Giants.
•Khalil Ahmad is reportedly rejoining the ‘Cuse as executive director of personnel and recruiting. Ahmad has been Penn State’s recruiting coordinator for personnel and recruitment. He was previously the director of high school relations at Syracuse football under former head coach Dino Babers.