The Syracuse Orange are hiring Georgia Bulldogs defensive backs coach Fran Brown as their head football coach. Brown will be the 31st coach in school history. Brown will be introduced as Syracuse’s head coach in a Dec. 4 press conference.
Syracuse recently fired coach Dino Babers. Leading the Orange program is a challenging job because of its location and lack of financial resources compared to other Power Five jobs.
Brown is a recruiting guru in the Northeast. He coached at Temple and Rutgers before coming to Georgia in 2022. Brown is a smart hire for Syracuse, which is trying to improve its roster.
Syracuse wanted to hire a coach as soon as possible because the transfer portal opens on Dec. 4. Brown will try to retain talent on the Syracuse roster while adding it via the transfer portal and traditional recruiting.
Brown was excited after taking the Syracuse head coach role.
I am incredibly proud to be leading Syracuse football at a university with a rich and storied tradition of academic and athletic excellence. … The success of the players is my No. 1 priority — on and off the field. I want my guys to succeed in life, because they played football at Syracuse.
The Syracuse head coach’s job is a significant promotion for Brown. He and Georgia are currently preparing for the SEC championship game.
Syracuse announced Brown’s hiring via social media:
Brown ➡️ Orange@FranBrownUGA is the 31st head coach in Syracuse football history.
More: https://t.co/LtWtFVGMcf pic.twitter.com/mqUOCTg8Di
— Syracuse Football (@CuseFootball) November 28, 2023
Brown has helped Georgia secure the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class. He’s done an excellent job of recruiting elite defensive back recruits and is an important piece of Kirby Smart and Georgia’s coach staffing. Georgia will look for a replacement for Brown in the coming weeks. For now, the Dawgs are focused on preparing for the Alabama Crimson Tide in the SEC championship.