Syracuse football head coach Fran Brown got perturbed earlier this week when asked by a reporter about his thoughts regarding his name potentially being mentioned as a candidate for openings at schools such as Penn State and others.
On Monday, he said that he thought it was "disrespectful to even bring that up," and I could see where he was coming from, although I also think the reporter was just doing his job.
In any event, Brown touched on that a bit more on Thursday in a radio interview. Brown said he got irritated by the question, from the standpoint that, to him, the question made it sound like Syracuse football's head coaching job is in a lower tier than Penn State and others in the Big Ten Conference and the Southeastern Conference.
"How you telling me that my job isn’t a big-time job?" Brown said in part on Thursday. He added that the way the question got framed, to him, was disrespectful to him, his family, Orange players and Syracuse's alumni base.
Fran Brown says the Syracuse football head coaching job is a big-time one.
Brown, who is a really insightful guy, then turned it around, saying in essence, how would that media member feel if Brown asked him about bigger-time reporting opportunities, thus suggesting that the reporter's current job wasn't all that big (i.e., important). Again, the reporter was just doing his job, but Brown also makes a valid point.
Some might argue that Syracuse football's head coaching job is, in fact, not on the same level as those in the Big Ten and the SEC, based on how the Orange has fared over the past few decades, what conference it resides in, and what its financial resources are compared to schools in those two heavyweight leagues.
Look, the Big Ten and the SEC are in a different stratosphere than the Atlantic Coast Conference, and a lot of that has to do with their massive television contracts in football far outweighing what the ACC, the Big 12 Conference and other conferences possess.
On the flip side, I get what Brown is saying. He views Syracuse as an important program within the ACC and on a national stage. Brown has also said more than once since becoming the Orange's head coach in early December of 2023 that he isn't afraid of any other team out there, both on the field and on the recruiting trail, and he expects to win national championships on the Hill.
To Brown, Syracuse football is a big-time job, even if the program hasn't quite made it to the top of the mountain, so to speak. But Brown has the Orange on the right path. Even if this season doesn't turn out great, the 'Cuse went 10-3 in 2024, recruiting is at an all-time high, and the culture that Brown is building in Central New York is earning a lot of respect around the country.
On Monday, I firmly believe that the reporter was just doing his job and didn't mean to disrespect Fran Brown. The Syracuse football head coach responded Monday and then again on Thursday. He said what he needed to say. Now it's time to prepare for Pittsburgh coming to the JMA Wireless Dome on Saturday night.