It's been a fast-paced offseason so far for the Syracuse football program, as head coach Fran Brown has made a lot of changes to his assistant coaching staff following the team's 3-9 record in the recently completed 2025 campaign.
On Tuesday night, 247Sports reported that Georgia State defensive line coach and assistant head coach Jeremy Hawkins will come on board at the 'Cuse as the squad's defensive line coach. Per 247Sports, Hawkins has been a top-notch recruiter in the Sun Belt Conference.
With this hire, it is unlikely that Elijah Robinson will remain with the Orange. He had been the program's defensive coordinator over the past two seasons, but Brown recently demoted Robinson to co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach. Teams such as LSU and Nebraska are reportedly interested in hiring Robinson as a DL coach.
Sources: Syracuse edges coach Nick Williams has agreed to become the next edges coach at Florida State. He’s been at Syracuse two seasons coaching the edges, including seventh-round pick Fadil Diggs. pic.twitter.com/Fwyb4grBlb
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) December 8, 2025
Ace recruiter Nick Williams, the edges coach at Syracuse football, has agreed to take on the same role at fellow Atlantic Coast Conference team Florida State, according to multiple media reports.
Other Syracuse football staff changes to share.
Defensive guru Vince Kehres is the new defensive coordinator with the Orange, SU Athletics announced a few days ago. Most recently, he led a stout Toledo defense as that team's defensive coordinator and linebackers coach.
In the 2025 season, Mid-American Conference member Toledo has put forth one of the top defenses around the country. Hopefully, Kehres can do replicate that on the Hill, as the 'Cuse was sub-par on defense in 2025.
Also in recent days, ESPN senior writer Pete Thamel reported on X that Syracuse football was finalizing a deal to hire Juan Castillo as the team's new offensive line coach. Castillo has 40 years of coaching experience at the college and NFL levels. Most recently, Castillo was an offensive analyst at Michigan.
Source: Syracuse is finalizing a deal to make Juan Castillo the school’s new offensive line coach. He’s a veteran coach with significant college and NFL experience. He spent last year as a Michigan analyst and the prior year at UCLA. pic.twitter.com/t9ELbo4Wyg
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) December 6, 2025
Near the beginning of December, per a press release from Syracuse Athletics, Brown said that those assistants who would not be retained for the 2026 season included special teams coordinator Ricky Brumfield, offensive line coach Dale Williams, defensive backs coach Joe Schaefer and co-defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Robert Wright.
The prior month, in early November, quality control/offensive specialist Josh Gattis took over as the Orange's wide receivers coach, as wide receivers coach/passing game coordinator Myles White was no longer with the program.
Additionally, offensive associate head coach Nunzio Campanile was moved from coaching the quarterbacks to coaching the tight ends, while co-offensive coordinator Michael Johnson went from tight ends coach to quarterbacks coach.