Syracuse hires Georgia’s Fran Brown, a Camden native, as its next head coach
Brown, 41, is a Camden High grad and has a reputation as one of the nation's top recruiters. He previously spent time at Temple as an assistant.
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Less than 10 days after firing Dino Babers, Syracuse has found its next football coach: Fran Brown.
Brown, 41, was named the 31st head coach in school history on Tuesday. The Camden native has spent the last two seasons with the University of Georgia as its defensive backs coach under Kirby Smart. He won a national championship last year with the Bulldogs and served as the position coach for Eagles rookie Kelee Ringo and Imhotep Charter grad Tykee Smith. Brown is considered one of the top recruiters in the nation, and played a huge part in helping compile Georgia’s No. 1 class for 2024.
Prior to Georgia, Brown spent time at Rutgers (2020-21) under Greg Schiano, at Baylor (2017-18) and Temple under Matt Rhule (2013-16), and worked on Steve Addazio (2011-12) and Rod Carey’s staffs (2019) with Temple. Brown interviewed for the Temple head coaching job in 2019 which ultimately went to Carey. Throughout his career, he has mostly worked with the defensive backs, a position he played at Western Carolina and later briefly in the NFL with the Cincinnati Bengals.
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Syracuse zeroed in on Brown after also considering Holy Cross’ Bob Chesney and Toledo’s Jason Candle, according to ESPN. Over eight seasons, Babers went 41-55 (.427) and qualified for four bowl games.
The time of the hiring is an awkward one for both Brown and Syracuse. Georgia is 12-0 and ranked No. 1 in the College Football Playoff standings. The Bulldogs will play Alabama on Saturday in the SEC Championship game.
At the same time, Syracuse is bowl eligible, not to mention early signing day is quickly approaching on Dec. 20. It remains to be seen whether Brown will join Syracuse full-time immediately or split duties through the end of the season between the Orange and Bulldogs.
Syracuse’s 2024 recruiting class ranks No. 55 nationally and 13th out of 14 in the ACC, according to on3.com. Syracuse will hope Brown’s recruiting chops and deep-rooted ties in the Northeast, particularly in Philly and New Jersey, will pay dividends for a program that’s recruiting classes traditionally ranked in the 60s and 70s and near the bottom of the ACC under Babers.