It is a weird time in college athletics right now. With the transfer portal, conference realignment, and NIL, the world seems to be flipped upside down. And within all of the chaos, Syracuse may be falling behind. It seems like every month more rumors of top dogs leaving the ACC. What would the Orange do then? Would any conference like Syracuse? It’s a scary time to be the athletic director of a school like Syracuse. To be successful, you have to take risks and that’s what John Wildhack is doing.
Fran Brown is inexperienced. There’s no getting around that. He has never been a head coach before at any level. The 40-year-old has never been a coordinator at a Power Five school. Brown has never been a full coordinator of a team, only serving as the co-DC of Temple. It’s reasonable to see this and think back to why Dino Babers was let go and wonder if this is the wrong decision.
But Fran Brown got this job for a reason. John Wildhack didn’t just pick a random guy off the street. Brown can be the perfect man for this job. The New Jersey native is known for his abilities on the recruiting trail. It’s been well documented by now how he was named the best recruiter in the country by 247 sports. Syracuse’s recruiting has been atrocious lately. The 2023 class was the worst in all of the power five. The 2024 class is currently one of the worst in the ACC. Syracuse needs change. Fran Brown is that change.
Fran Brown can bring energy into the Dome that this program desperately needs. If Brown is truly good strong of a recruiter, which everything points to, he will be able to quickly assemble a competitive squad by retaining players and the transfer portal. Syracuse has a chance to quickly regain national relevance and get back to the glory that this city has seen.
The best coaches have been trained by legends. Nick Saban coached under Bill Belichick. Kirby Smart spent nine seasons working for Saban. Fran Brown just worked for Kirby Smart for two years. He worked for Matt Rhule beforehand and Greg Schiano as well.
Fran Brown has been trained by the best of the best. He is highly regarded as one of the best recruiters in the nation. The on-the-field game management could take some time to develop. But if Wildhack gives Brown the budget he needs to hire coordinators, assistants, and a strong support staff, the sky is the limit under Fran Brown.
