Fran Brown understands the history of Syracuse football and where the program has resided of late. Brown, who is entering his third season as the Orange's head coach, wants to see the 'Cuse have ongoing success and become a powerhouse in college football.
Speaking on Thursday at the annual ACC Kickoff event in Charlotte, N.C., Brown says his goals are to win national championships and take over the Atlantic Coast Conference, which the Orange moved to from the Big East Conference during the 2013-14 campaign.
In 2024, Brown's debut stint on the Hill, the 'Cuse went 10-3 overall, buoyed by a prolific offense featuring record-setting quarterback Kyle McCord. Last year, starting quarterback Steve Angeli got injured in SU's fourth game, and the Orange went downhill after that, losing eight straight to finish at 3-9 overall.
Brown, on Thursday, said that he believes he has the right assistant coaches and players to get SU back on track, but he's got even bigger aspirations than simply contending for bowl games. "I want to sustain this," he said.
Fran Brown has big-time plans for his Syracuse football program.
The Orange has a storied history. The 1959 national championship. A Heisman Trophy winner and many All-Americans. An 11–0–1 mark in 1987, and several other 10-win campaigns. Yet since 2001, the 'Cuse has only finished in the final AP top-25 rankings on three occasions.
Brown's plan is for Syracuse football to get back to being consistently relevant on the national stage. What does he think that looks like? For one, Brown says it's key that all the top players, whether in the transfer portal or via high school recruiting, have SU in the mix.
The 'Cuse isn't going to prevail for every top target, but to be included in highly ranked prospects' list cuts is a good start. Candidly, Brown has already started to do that with his recent recruiting classes.
He thinks that top-flight players will want to have Syracuse among their top suitors "because of the way we play ball, and the way I treat people." Brown took it a step further, saying that SU has the right chancellor in Mike Haynie and the right athletics director in Bryan Blair to ensure that Syracuse football and other 'Cuse sports are positioned for long-term success.
"I think our school is about to make some big moves," Brown said.
Heck yeah, Coach.
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