As Syracuse football prepares to face North Carolina on the road this Saturday night, national reporter Bruce Feldman of The Athletic says that head coach Fran Brown's seat is "toasty."
Brown and the Orange are halfway through their 2026 regular season. The team is struggling, to say the least. After falling by eight points at home last Saturday evening to Louisville, Syracuse football (2-4 overall, 0-4 in ACC) remains on the lookout for its first Atlantic Coast Conference conquest.
The Orange is last in the ACC standings. Syracuse football, in fact, hasn't won a league clash since it beat Clemson on the road in September 2025. That game pushed SU to 3-1 overall, but the 'Cuse also lost starting quarterback Steve Angeli for the season due to an injury. The Orange would go on to lose its final eight games, finishing at 3-9 overall.
Brown and SU sported a 10-3 overall mark in his debut campaign in 2024. Syracuse football, led by record-setting quarterback Kyle McCord, won a bowl game in that season and finished No. 20 in the final Associated Press top-25 poll.
Fast-forward to 2026, and the 'Cuse isn't getting blown out in its setbacks. Three of its four losses have come by eight points or fewer. But the Orange is dealing with a lot of injuries in its quarterback room, the kicking game is woeful, and SU is committing way too many penalties, and at inopportune times.
Syracuse football head coach Fran Brown's seat is "toasty," says a national writer.
Should the 'Cuse continue to pile up losses in 2026, could SU officials make a head coaching change after the current campaign ends? Feldman wrote: "The second half of the season will be worth watching closely. Of the Orange’s remaining six opponents, none have losing records, and the weakest teams, BC and NC State, are both road games. New athletic director Bryan Blair, we’re told, will be aggressive in working to elevate the program. Getting to 4-8 wouldn’t be great, but it might be enough to buy him another year."
One thing I'll note here is that Blair, who officially came on board as Syracuse's athletics director over the summer, didn't hire Brown. Another thing I'll add here: If the Orange goes 4-8, a contingent of the 'Cuse fan base will want to see a new head coach brought in.
But who would Syracuse football realistically get? The Orange's financial situation is likely mid-tier in the ACC at best. Plus, Brown is one heck of a recruiter. And he hired a bunch of new assistants for the 2026 season, including a defensive coordinator. It might be tough for Blair not to give Brown at least one more campaign, but the situation could greatly improve if Syracuse football would just win a few more games in 2026.
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