In his press conference last Wednesday on National Signing Day, Syracuse football head coach Fran Brown was candid, honest and straightforward, while touching on a variety of topics.
Brown is confident, but not cocky. He knows where his strengths lie, he knows that the Orange’s future success is contingent on him building a top-notch coaching staff, he knows what his goals are, he’s clear about his vision on the Hill, and he’s not afraid of any other program in the Atlantic Coast Conference or around the country.
Brown is a family man. He’s a man of faith. He’s a detail-oriented coach. He’s regarded by experts as an ace recruiter who also excels in player development. He wants his players to reach their individual objectives, while being part of something bigger.
What I’ve loved hearing about over and over again from Brown, in interviews and this press conference, is how he’s just as focused on his players shining off the field as on the field.
In that recent presser, Brown was pretty blunt in sharing his two primary objectives for his players while he’s at the helm of the ‘Cuse.
Syracuse football head coach Fran Brown is ambitious and transparent.
Brown comes to the Orange after, most recently, serving as the defensive backs coach at Southeastern Conference powerhouse Georgia, a team that had won the last two national titles in college football.
As I’ve noted in other recent columns, as of the early signing period, 247Sports has anointed Brown its national recruiter of the year for the 2024 cycle. Not too long ago, 247Sports also named him its national defensive backs coach of the year.
So far within its 2024 class, the Orange has landed commitments from at least 18 high school seniors and at least seven transfers. Numerous of these ‘Cuse signees are rated four stars and are nationally ranked.
Brown, in his presser, said he was pleased with the Orange’s 2024 cycle, but he also added the team still has work to do with this class, and he isn’t fully satisfied, because he’s ultra-competitive.
Regarding his players, Brown says his two goals for them are to win a national championship and ensure that ‘Cuse players are excellent in the classroom and earn their degrees.
Interestingly enough, since Brown and the new staff took over in recent weeks, I’ve seen a lot of posts on social media that speak to the possibility of Syracuse football making a run to the College Football Playoff.
The sentiment goes something like this. The Orange’s recruiting efforts have picked up big-time, and some observers suggest that the ‘Cuse has a fairly reasonable schedule in the 2024 season.
Do I think Syracuse football is going to make the CFP? I don’t know about that. It would be a large leap from the seven victories that the Orange had in 2022, and the six wins that the team accrued in the recently completed 2023 stanza.
Then again, the CFP will expand to 12 participants beginning in the 2024 season, so I guess we’ll have to wait and see on that topic.
In any event, Brown says that he’s been waiting his entire life for the chance to lead a program, and he emphatically says he’s going to “seize” that opportunity.
He adds that he’s most excited for the ‘Cuse to begin practicing again, for the players to get into the weight room, and for what he and his staff have been building in recent weeks to come to fruition.
Brown didn’t hesitate to mention in his presser on numerous occasions how competitive he is. He wants to get the best players. He wants to be “No. 1 in everything we do.”
I loved this anecdote in his press conference. Brown, while with the Bulldogs, coached alongside one of the best in the business, Georgia head coach Kirby Smart.
Brown said that he learned from Smart the following: not to be hunted, but to be the one doing the hunting. I’m looking forward to Brown and his staff carrying out that mantra in Central New York.