On December 4th, 2023, Fran Brown was officially the 31st head coach at Syracuse. There were a few mixed feelings among the fans of Syracuse Orange. However, most fans admitted that the team needed a change. While Syracuse was hardly the worst football team around, many believed that the team had become stagnant. If something didn’t change, the team would probably continue to plummet. Enter, Fran Brown.
Brown came in and said that Syracuse would rise again. He pledged that his tenure over the team would see massive changes to the Syracuse program. He’d reinvigorate the staff. He’d bring in new players (and ditch the deadweight), and he would, hopefully, help Syracuse become a better team.
It is a promise that he seems to have stuck by, too. While it is still tough to call Syracuse’s games this season (unless they are the clear favorites), there appears to be a new lease of life among the team and the fanbase, and even amongst sports bettors, with more and more people backing them to win games. Gambling companies have started to attract more bets hoping that Syracuse can win (you can check out offers available through sports betting if you’re planning to do the same), and Brown is clearly showing that he is the man to lead the team, after a few false starts with other head coaches over the last few years. Often, if seasoned gamblers start to back a team more and more, this is something to take note of. People will not throw their money away for nothing, after all.
But what changes has Brown attempted? How is he starting to shine a spotlight on the wonders of Syracuse football, and is it sustainable for the near future?
Marcellus Barnes Jr.
It all started in January, when Marcellus Barnes Jr. was a wanted man for many different football programs, with Georgia, Virginia Tech, and Ole Miss wanting a piece of the action. Honestly, Barnes Jr. could have chosen to go anywhere. Fans everywhere wanted him. He chose Syracuse.
The cornerback didn’t do it on the down low, though. Oh no. It was during the High School All-American Bowl where, live on TV, Barnes Jr. publicly committed to playing for Syracuse. He ignored every other team that wanted him. He knew that Syracuse was where it was at for the very near future.
It was at this time that people started to think, “Yep, Syracuse may be worth something this year.”
Quick Expansion of the Team
The program at Syracuse was brutal during stretches over the last decade. A rapid succession of head coaches each trying to make their mark on the team had created a mess. Syracuse wasn’t always terrible, it just wasn’t performing where it should be. The atmosphere for Syracuse games began to wane, as fans were starting to get apathetic at what was happening on the field.
Fran was determined to shake this up and cast a light on Syracuse football again. In the middle of January, he brought in 32 signees and oversaw a record turnover of players. Brown brought in so many quality players that he became the national recruiter for the year.
This put Syracuse ranked No. 35 on the 247Sports Composite, the first time they’d ever cracked the top 40. The epic recruitment from Brown showed that he had the talent, and the vision, to attract some of the best players to play for his team. No other coach in recent years has been able to do this, and it shows that Brown is committed to showing off Syracuse football in the best light.
The best part is that he won’t be running away from his obligations any time soon. The whole reason he moved to Syracuse was because he wanted a long project. One he could play about with for years. He wanted somewhere to settle his family, which means that we can only see major improvements coming.
Has Fran Brown Shone a Spotlight?
Absolutely!
We’re only seven months into his tenure (at the time of writing), but we’ve started to see more and more people discuss Syracuse. We are starting to see a bit more positivity among the fans and we’re starting to see more discussion in the media.
All of this is going to contribute toward Brown being able to attract better players to his football program.
Granted, this is going to be a slow process. Syracuse isn’t going to magically become great overnight. It may be a few years before we start to see the impact Brown has had on his team. However, he is certainly sticking by the promise that he made.
If you’re looking to keep an eye on one college football team this year (and for the next few years), make it Syracuse. This is a team that has had a bit of a tough time recently but is guaranteed to improve. They’ll certainly always offer an epic performance under the guidance of Fran, at least.
