Syracuse Football: New head coach Fran Brown national DB coach of year

Fran Brown, who was formally introduced by SU Athletics a week ago as the new head coach of Syracuse football, replacing Dino Babers, was tabbed as the country’s top defensive backs coach by 247Sports.

Recruiting service and media outlet 247Sports, in an article from national reporter Brandon Marcello, announced today its 12 best assistant coaches for the 2023 season.

In the defensive backs/safeties category, 247Sports honored Fran Brown, who joined the Orange after most recently serving as the defensive backs coach at Southeastern Conference powerhouse Georgia.

The Bulldogs, a group that had won the last two national championships, lost to Alabama earlier this month in the SEC title game, giving Georgia a 12-1 record this season to date. Ranked No. 6 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings, the Bulldogs will face Atlantic Coast Conference champion and No. 5 Florida State (13-0) on December 30 at the Orange Bowl in Miami Gardens, Fla.

First and foremost, a huge congratulations from ‘Cuse Nation to Fran Brown on this tremendous and well-deserved honor from 247Sports!

New Syracuse football head coach Fran Brown has claimed a big-time national honor in the 2023 term.

"In his write-up, here’s what Marcello had to say about the Orange’s new head coach. “Brown didn’t need long to get his first big break. Georgia’s defensive backs coach was hired earlier this month to lead Syracuse after leaving a huge recruiting and coaching imprint on the Bulldogs’ safeties. … Unsurprisingly, Georgia led all teams with three defensive backs on the All-SEC team, including first-teamer Malaki Starks, a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award and the Nagurski Trophy. Despite replacing Chris Smith at safety, Javion Bullard moved over well from cornerback and had 55 tackles and two picks.”"

Brown, a native of Camden, N.J., has extensive recruiting connections in the state of New Jersey and throughout the Northeast region. Despite only having been in the top spot at Syracuse football for a week (officially, anyway), he and his assistants have already landed verbal commitments from three high-quality players in the 2024 cycle.

Before Georgia, Fran Brown held coaching positions at Rutgers, Temple and Baylor. He’s regarded by national observers and analysts as a top-flight recruiter who excels in player development, is focused on community initiatives, and makes a concerted effort to ensure his players shine on and off the field.

When I wrote this article on Monday evening, the industry-generated 247Sports Composite placed Brown at No. 2 around the country in its 2024 national recruiter rankings.