Tag: fran brown

Georgia football analyst leaves for Fran Brown, Syracuse

Georgia analyst joins Fran Brown at Syracuse, will serve as nickels coach

The Georgia Bulldogs have been known for their elite defensive talent during the Kirby Smart era. The Dawgs have also accumulated a lot of coaching talent over the years and other top college football programs want members of UGA’s coaching staff.

Much like the transfer portal, college football coaching staffs have significant turnover every year as coaches look to further their careers. Former cornerbacks coach Fran Brown left for Syracuse last season and flourished, going 10-3. An upset win over Miami to end the season prevented the Hurricanes from going to the College Football Playoff in Brown’s top win of the season.

Now, Georgia defensive analyst Blaine Miller is expected to join to Fran Brown’s staff at Syracuse to become the new nickels coach.

Miller joined the Georgia staff prior to the 2023 season, which was Brown’s final season at Georgia. Miller is listed as a quality control coach and worked with the inside linebackers, assisting Glenn Schumann, who is Georgia’s defensive coordinator.

Former Georgia assistant earns Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant Award

Former Georgia assistant Fran Brown received a big reward for his coaching prowess.

Former Georgia assistant coach Fran Brown had a spectacular first season with the Syracuse Orange, and on Jan. 15th, he was rewarded for his great season, earning the Paul “Bear” Bryant Award Newcomer Coach of the Year.

Brown inherited a Syracuse Orange team that finished 6-7 the year prior and looked like one of the teams in the ACC’s no-mans land. However, thanks to adding some impressive offensive transfers, such as former Ohio State Buckeye quarterback Kyle McCord and former Georgia Bulldog wide receiver Jackson Meeks, the Orange became one of the best teams in the ACC.

Syracuse went 10-3, with the best victory coming at the end of the regular season, defeating the No. 10 Miami Hurricanes 42-38 to end the Hurricanes shot at making the College Football Playoff. The Orange were ranked in the top 25 for the first time since 2018 and the Syracuse offense was ranked in 21st out of all FBS teams in points per game (34.1).

Before his gig with Syracuse, Brown was the defensive backs coach with Georgia from 2022-23. He developed solid NFL defensive backs such as Kamari Lassiter, Tykee Smith, Javon Bullard, and Kelee Ringo.

Former Georgia assistant makes big impact on CFP race

Former Georgia assistant cheering for the Georgia Bulldogs in the College Football Playoff

Former Georgia Bulldogs assistant Fran Brown has transformed the Syracuse Orange from an ACC afterthought into a legitimate ACC contender in just one season.

Brown turned a 6-7 team into a 9-3 team thanks to excellent transfers, including former Ohio State Buckeye quarterback Kyle McCord and former Bulldog wide receiver Jackson Meeks.

The Orange’s best victory came against No. 6 Miami, against which Syracuse came back from down 21-0 to win 42-38. Syracuse’s win was huge for the Clemson Tigers, who needed Miami to lose to make the ACC championship and to have a shot at making the College Football Playoff.

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney offered to honor Brown if Clemson wins the national title.

“Man, if we win the national championship, (Fran Brown) is gonna be riding in the car with me through downtown Clemson,” said Swinney.

“I’m very happy for (Dabo) and his team… but with that being said… Go Dawgs,” said Brown in a recent interview.

There’s a scenario in which Georgia and Clemson meet in the national and Bulldogs fans are surely hoping the rematch would be similar to the 34-3 Georgia blowout win on opening weekend.

Former Georgia assistant thanks Kirby Smart after massive upset win

Former Georgia assistant thanks Kirby Smart after major upset win

Former Georgia Bulldog defensive backs coach Fran Brown has done great work in revitalizing the Syracuse football program. Brown improved the Orange’s record from 6-7 in 2023 to 9-3 in 2024, earning a top 25 spot and a solid bowl game in his first year on the job.

The Orange boast one of the best offenses in the ACC led by former Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord and former Georgia wide receiver Jackson Meeks.

Syracuse’s biggest win of the season came in rivalry week, when the Syracuse Orange defeated the No. 6 Miami Hurricanes 42-38. Syracuse was down 21-0 at one point, but the Orange rallied to knock the Hurricanes out of the ACC championship matchup and potentially the College Football Playoff.

Fran Brown gave his old boss Kirby Smart a shoutout after the win: “Hey Kirby Smart, thank you for that message earlier, Kirby. Means so much to me, Coach Smart. I appreciate you, I love you. Thank you,” Brown said.

Syracuse HC Fran Brown has a message for Dabo Swinney after saving Clemson’s season

Brown and Syracuse took care of business for the Tigers.

Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers College Football Playoffs hopes shrunk drastically when they fell 17-14 to rivals South Carolina on Saturday, but they didn’t disappear thanks to another ACC program.

Syracuse took care of business for the Tigers, picking up a massive upset win over Miami and sending Clemson to the ACC Championship. From heartbreak to hope, it was a huge moment for both Syracuse and Clemson. It was a huge moment for Syracuse, as it was first-year head coach Fran Brown’s biggest win with the program.

Following the game, in an interview with ESPN, Brown made sure Dabo Swinney knew what the Orange did for Clemson.

“Hey Dabo Swinney, Congrats! I got you in Baby,” said Brown.

It is now on Clemson to take advantage, who will face  No. 9 SMU next Saturday in Charlotte for the ACC Championship and an automatic bid to the playoff.

 

Syracuse’s Fran Brown hilariously took credit for getting Clemson into the ACC title game

Dabo Swinney probably doesn’t see it entirely that way, but Fran Brown is at least partially right.

The ACC championship game next weekend is set, and while we already knew No. 9 SMU would be playing for a title in its first season in the conference, Saturday’s games led to No. 12 Clemson officially being the Mustangs’ opponent.

And it’s all thanks to Syracuse — at least, according to the Orange’s head coach Fran Brown.

The No. 6 Miami Hurricanes would have advanced to the ACC championship game to take on SMU if they beat Syracuse on Saturday. But they didn’t. They lost, 42-38, for their second conference and overall loss this season, which put Clemson — which lost, 17-14, to No. 15 South Carolina on Saturday — in the conference title game instead.

To that, Brown says, you’re welcome, Clemson. And he hilariously pointed that out in his post-game interview after declaring: “Syracuse is back!”

“Hey, Dabo Swinney! Congrats! I got you in, baby!”

Swinney probably doesn’t see it entirely that way, but Brown is at least partially right that the Tigers wouldn’t be playing for a championship if Syracuse lost.

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Syracuse’s Fran Brown hyped up Kyle McCord in a classy gesture after he threw 3 pick-6s in first half

This is what good coaching looks like. 

Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord had one of the worst halves of college football we’ve seen this season on the road against Pittsburgh on Thursday night.

McCord threw a whopping four picks before halftime, three of those going back for Pittsburgh touchdowns. It was very bad.

As one could imagine, McCord looked dejected on the sideline after throwing his fourth pick of the game. However,  Syracuse coach Fran Brown made sure to come up to him and provide some intense encouragement.

You could tell that Brown understood the urgency to support his quarterback after such an awful half of football. This is what good coaching looks like.

 

Feature image courtesy of ESPN.

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Where did former Rutgers assistant Fran Brown debut on the CBS Sports power rankings?

Fran Brown, a former Rutgers football assistant, is ranked by CBS Sports.

Former Rutgers football assistant [autotag]Fran Brown[/autotag] is off to a hot start as the head coach at Syracuse without so much as having yet played an official game.

But CBS Sports says that Brown, who was the secondary coach at Rutgers for two years, still has plenty to prove when being stacked up against the rest of the Power Four.

Brown is No. 67 on the list out of 68 head coaches, but this shouldn’t be taken as a slight. As CBS Sports noted in their rankings, Brown has yet to coach a game and someone has to be at the bottom of the list.

Where things get interesting for Brown is the outlook at Syracuse, where he does have the Orange positioned well. There is potential for Brown to be able to build Syracuse up, provided that his staff can develop their incoming players.

Here is what CBS Sports had to say about Brown:

“This hire is one that I look forward to following. Brown was a good coach and incredible recruiter for Georgia, but will his recruiting acumen translate to upstate New York? It’s a very different sell, but Brown is off to a strong start. Now we await what kind of results the Orange can get on the field. “

Syracuse is putting together a very solid recruiting class, one that is filling up quickly. It is top 10 nationally according to 247Sports, in large part due to having 19 commits.

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Brown comes to Syracuse after two seasons at Georgia as their safeties coach. Prior to that, he spent two years on staff at Rutgers.

At No. 68 on the list is Dashaun Foster, the first-year head coach at UCLA. Rutgers will play UCLA at SHI Stadium on Oct. 19.

Rutgers head coach [autotag]Greg Schiano[/autotag] is at No. 40 on the list, up 10 spots from the previous year.

Here are the Top 10 college football recruiters ahead of the 2024 season

With National Signing Day finished for the 2024 cycle, here are the top college football recruiters who have made a name for themselves.

With the conclusion of National Signing Day last week, the 2024 recruiting cycle is complete, as every program is focused on spring football and building their respective 2025 cycle heading into the summer.

Looking deeper into the vast and complicated recruiting world, it seems that, on the surface, head coaches receive more credit for landing top prospects than the staff that surround them, but that can’t be further from the truth.

For example, former Texas A&M HC Jimbo Fisher’s elite 2022 recruiting class, especially concerning the defensive prospects, was primarily due to the work of assistant coaches Elijah Robinson and the late Terry Price, while Robinson has now transitioned to Syracuse as the program’s new defensive coordinator.

For new Aggies head coach Mike Elko, several new staff members, including Holmon Wiggins (WR coach), Ishmael Aristide (CB coach), and Trooper Taylor (RB coach), have helped secure A&M’s 16th-ranked 2024 cycle, culminating with the signing of long time commit, 5-star athlete Terry Bussey.

Looking at the entire college football coaching landscape to nail down the best recruiters in 2024, 247Sports ranked the Top 10 assistant coaches who deserve such credit.

Former Georgia defensive backs coach named as recruiter of the year

Former Georgia football defensive backs coach played a big role in Georgia securing the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class

Former Georgia Bulldogs defensive backs coach Fran Brown was named 247Sports’ recruiter of the year. Brown, who accepted the head coach job at Syracuse following the SEC championship game, played a massive role in recruiting Georgia’s top-ranked class of 2024.

Brown heavily recruited five-star defensive back Ellis Robinson IV, who is the nation’s No. 2 recruit, to come to Georgia. Robinson’s father described Brown’s relationship with his son.

Fran was not just a coach to Ellis, he was more like a mentor, an uncle. The relationship we developed with him and his family was like family. Even though he’s at Syracuse now that (relationship) hasn’t changed a bit. One word that describes Fran is genuine.

Recruiting is all about relationships, which is something Brown excels at. Brown has recruiting challenges ahead at Syracuse, but has already done an excellent job adding talent to the Orange’s roster. Brown helped Syracuse sign the No. 34 recruiting class in the nation. Several former Georgia Bulldogs transfers followed Brown to Syracuse.

Brown helped Georgia add two five-stars (Robinson and KJ Bolden) to the secondary in the class of 2024. Additionally, the Bulldogs signed a pair of four-star cornerbacks.