On Monday, Syracuse football head coach Fran Brown didn't appreciate being asked about other job openings.
The day before, Penn State fired its head coach, James Franklin. Other college programs that have parted with ways with their head coach so far in the 2025 campaign include Virginia Tech, UCLA, Arkansas, Oklahoma State, Oregon State and UAB.
Syracuse HC Fran Brown on if he has anything he wants to say to Orange fans that are worried about him leaving for a bigger job after Penn State fired James Franklin: pic.twitter.com/r2tpqt3TbB
— Cuse Sports Talk (@CuseSportsTalk_) October 13, 2025
Various articles have mentioned Brown as a possible candidate in this head coaching carousel, or observers have noted that schools such as Penn State should add Brown to their board for consideration. This is understandable, because Brown has done a terrific job in his one-and-a-half years on the Hill, amassing a 13-6 overall record, recruiting at a high level, and building a program based on character and integrity.
Syracuse football head coach Fran Brown was not happy with a reporter's question on Monday.
Still, as the Orange prepares to host Pittsburgh on Saturday night, Brown was asked on Monday if he had anything to say to the Syracuse football fan base, to reassure fans amid his name being floated around as a potential job candidate elsewhere.
Brown said he thought it was "disrespectful to even bring that up." According to a column on Tuesday from Syracuse.com's Brent Axe, "Brown chided the reporter who asked the question."
I love Coach Brown, but I've also been a journalist for more than two decades. The reporter was just doing his job.
Brown said rather matter-of-factly, "I'm working at Syracuse right now. I don't really need to talk about that. If this wasn't where I wanted to be at the moment, would I be standing here at this moment? I'm focused on that. I'm focused on being here. I'm locked in on coaching the players that I have here. ... They hired me to come here and do a job."
I get why Brown was irritated. He's focused on the Pittsburgh game, and he doesn't want to have to answer hypothetical, speculative questions about his current employer or any possible future employer.
To be fair, when he was introduced by SU Athletics as Syracuse football's next head coach in early December of 2023, Brown did say in part, "I’m here for life. I promise you that."
On Monday, the reporter was just asking a question that many 'Cuse fans were wondering. Perhaps Brown could have simply stated what he said nearly two years ago. "I’m here for life. I promise you that."
And the Orange's head coach could have left it at that.