Georgia defensive line coach Fran Brown has emerged as a top target for the head coaching job at Syracuse, program sources confirmed Monday. Here’s what you need to know:
- The New Jersey native has been with the Bulldogs for the past two seasons.
- Brown was Rutgers’ secondary coach from 2020 to 2021. The Western Carolina graduate also previously coached at Temple and Baylor.
- Sources say Holy Cross head coach Bob Chesney and Toledo’s Jason Candle have also received significant attention for the job.
- Syracuse fired coach Dino Babers with one game left this season after he spent eight seasons with the Orange and compiled a 41-55 record.
How Brown could impact Syracuse
Brown was recruited to Georgia out of nowhere two years ago, but has shown why Kirby Smart wanted him: recruiting, both in the secondary and in the Northeast. Brown was a key recruiter for five-star athlete Ellis Robinson, the third overall prospect in the 2024 cycle who is now at IMG Academy in Florida, as well as five-star Texas linebacker Justin Williams and four-star Offensive lineman Jordan Thomas from Calhoun, NJ
On the field, Georgia’s second-tier defense is the strength of their defense, which isn’t entirely due to Brown, as Will Muschamp and Smart both help coach there, but Brown is a big part of it. Brown was also one of the voices in the defensive coaching room when it came to strategy. Smart said last year, “Everyone gets involved a little bit because we believe multiple voices develop coaches and multiple voices are better heard by the audience.”
Is that still a bit of a challenge for Syracuse? Probably. But Brown isn’t even the first Georgia position coach to get a job in a power conference: Sam Pittman moved from offensive line coach to head coach at Arkansas despite having no head coaching experience, and like Brown, it was a good fit.
While Arkansas struggled this year, there was improvement for Pittman in his first three years there, and it’s not unreasonable to think Brown can take what he saw at Georgia the last two years and use it in the ACC. — Seth Emerson, Georgia football writer
Backstory
According to 247Sports, Brown is currently considered the nation’s leading recruiter for the 2024 signing class. The 40-year-old has six players committed to the upcoming class, including two five-star prospects.
Required reading
(Photo: Mark J. Rebilas / USA Today)