Syracuse Football: Analyst names Fran Brown one of top coaching performances in 2024

When SU Athletics hired former Georgia defensive backs coach Fran Brown as the next head coach of Syracuse football, the New Jersey native came to the Hill with an unparalleled reputation as an ace recruiter not just in the Northeast corridor, but also around the country.

Understandably, pundits and fans alike were curious to see how Brown's recruiting prowess would translate on the field in the 2024 campaign. Well, the Orange may have possessed a few minor bumps along its journey in the recently completed regular season, but by and large, Brown, his top-flight staff and their 2024 roster shined bright both within the Atlantic Coast Conference and on a national scale.

Brad Crawford, a top analyst for 247Sports and CBS Sports, has taken notice of what Brown and the Syracuse football program have achieved thus far this term, with one more game left on the docket.

This week, Crawford published an article where he ranked the 25 best coaching performances during the 2024 season before the bowl calendar gets officially underway. I'm pleased to report that Brown checks in at No. 16 on this list, and deservingly so.

The analyst writes: "Anchored by former Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord, Brown pumped new life into the Syracuse program with a nine-win season, punctuated by last month's win over Miami in the finale."

Within the Atlantic Coast Conference, those also making Crawford's list include head coaches from Georgia Tech, Miami, Duke, SMU and Clemson. That's fair.

Syracuse football first-year head coach Fran Brown has put forth a remarkable season.

I sound like a broken record, but as much as I was impressed with what Brown, a first-time head coach at the collegiate level, has done on the field in 2024, what jazzes me up the most about him is that Brown is a man of integrity, he's no-nonsense, he's kind, he's laser-focused on his players being high-character people and doing well in the classroom, and community service is extremely important to him.

How can you not love that?

However, if we're talking about results in actual games, the Orange went 9-3 overall in the 2024 regular season, including a 5-3 mark in Atlantic Coast Conference play. In the league's preseason media poll, the 'Cuse was forecast to finish at No. 12 in the conference standings, although Syracuse football ended up in a tie for fourth place.

In the regular season, the Orange beat three ranked foes, capped off by the program mounting its largest comeback ever when upsetting then-No. 6 Miami late last month at the JMA Wireless Dome in the regular-season finale.

The latest College Football Playoff top-25 rankings have Syracuse football at No. 21 nationally, and the 'Cuse is headed to the post-season for the third straight year while aiming for a 10th win in a campaign for the first time since 2018.

News broke on Wednesday that record-setting senior quarterback Kyle McCord will suit up at the Holiday Bowl on December 27 in San Diego, where the Orange will battle Pac-12 Conference member Washington State (8-4 overall).

Naturally, I hope that Syracuse football prevails over the Cougars later this month. Either way, though, I give a ton of credit to Brown for how he conducts himself, the example he sets for his players and the greater 'Cuse community, and what he has accomplished in his inaugural stanza as the Orange's head coach.