Tag: fran brown

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.

Former LSU cornerback Duce Chestnut returning to Syracuse

Duce Chestnut is going back to Syracuse after one season at LSU.

After one year at LSU in which he appeared in just four games, cornerback [autotag]Duce Chestnut[/autotag] is returning to Syracuse.

One of the top additions in LSU’s transfer portal class last offseason, Chestnut was expected to occupy a starting role in the secondary this season.

However, he came off the bench in each of his four appearances before spending the rest of the season away from the team. Coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] wouldn’t go into specifics on his absence or that of fellow transfer cornerback [autotag]Denver Harris[/autotag], but he said he would meet with both following the regular season.

Last week, they both entered the transfer portal.

Chestnut started in 24 games for the Orange and was named a Freshman All-American and the ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2021. He was also a two-time All-ACC selection, and now he’s rejoining a program that has a lot of momentum right now under new head coach and elite recruiter [autotag]Fran Brown[/autotag].

In one season with the Tigers, he had six total tackles with an interception.

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Caden Brown breaks down his Syracuse commitment: ‘I committed because of the people in the building’

Caden Brown breaks down his commitment to Syracuse football.

Caden Brown committed to Syracuse over the weekend, with the three-star athlete from New York City deciding to stay in-state.

Brown is ranked the fifth-best player in New York by Rivals. He is a 6-foot-3, 200-pound edge rusher from Erasmus Hall (Brooklyn, New York), one of the top programs in the state.

He projects in an edge-rushing role, likely as a linebacker.

This weekend, Brown took a visit to Syracuse, which led to his commitment to the ACC program. He is the second top-10 player in New York from Rivals to commit to Syracuse (three-star wide receiver Ja’meer Thomas verballed to the program in September).

“The visit to Syracuse was great. I had a chance to meet the whol defensive staff and get to know them,” Brown told USA TODAY High School Sports.

“What stood out to me was how genuine everyone is and how they really care for me as a person, not just as a football player.”

Brown plans to enroll at Syracuse in January.

The official visit put Syracuse predictably put Syracuse in a strong spot. He said the relationships formed with the new coaching staff paid off.

Head coach Fran Brown has been on fire on the recruiting trail so far for Syracuse.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better situation. I committed because of the people in the building,” Caden Brown said.

“Not because of the facilities or anything else. The relationship with the staff was important to me.”

He held offers from Boston College, Georgia Tech, Maryland and Rutgers among others.

Former Rutgers football recruit Yazeed Haynes enters transfer portal

Former Rutgers football commit Yazeed Haynes is in the transfer portal.

As college programs across the country shift their focus to the 2024 campaign, the options in the transfer portal are growing every day. That now includes a former Rutgers recruit, Yazeed Hynes. After one year at Georgia, Haynes is looking for a change in scenery.

In his only season as a Bulldog, the Philadelphia native made one catch for 20 yards. While his impact was limited, Haynes was rated as one of the top high school talents in the 2023 class. Before landing in Georgia, he had verbally committed to Rutgers and Penn State.

Although Haynes just entered the transfer portal, he is drawing interest. The talented wide receiver already has a visit scheduled with Syracuse, who needs help on offense.

 

Additionally, Syracuse’s interest comes as no surprise. Fran Brown, the head coach, was a keynote recruiter during Haynes’ high school career and helped get him to Athens.

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If Haynes does become an Orangemen, they will be looking to maximize his potential. In his freshman year, Haynes appeared in four games. As teams begin building their offense for next year, Haynes will be a player to watch.

KingJoseph Edwards is down to three schools with FSU visit pending

KingJoseph Edwards breaks down his recruitment with Florida State up next weekend.

Four-star defensive lineman KingJoseph Edwards is down to three schools with a commitment coming next week. Edwards took an official visit over the weekend to Syracuse and has an official to Florida State this weekend.

A 6-foot-4, 230-pound defensive lineman from Mill Creek (Hoschton, Georgia), Edwards is the No. 20 edge rusher in the nation. He took an official visit to Syracuse last week and will be at Florida State this weekend.

Colorado is the final program in the mix for Edwards, who will be making his commitment on Dec. 19.

Syracuse became a contender for Edwards following their fire of [autotag]Fran Brown[/autotag] last week. The Orange’s new head coach was formerly the safeties coach at Georgia. Prior to that, he was the secondary coach at Rutgers.

“(The) Weekend went really well. Spent the majority of the time with coach Williams (defensive ends coach Nick Williams) and coach Fran,” Edwards told USA TODAY High School Sports.

“They’ve been in my top three since coach Fran got there and then coach Williams.”

Throughout the weekend, Edwards was all over social media about his official visit to Syracuse. The program made some moves this weekend with Edwards.

“I’m thinking I want to major in physical therapy or physician assistant. They partner with a school of medicine that will allow me to major in either one of those,” Edwards said.

“We went out all weekend; people from the community were stopping me telling me they needed my help to build the program. It was a good feeling. The school is in downtown Syracuse – I liked it.”

Edwards has made multiple visits to Florida State.

“Well (it is) good – I mostly speak with Fuller (defensive coordinator Adam Fuller) and Novell (head coach Mike Norvell),” Edwards said.

“I’m eager to see how things go this weekend.”

Former Rutgers football quarterback Cole Snyder nearing a decision after Syracuse visit

Cole Snyder, a former Rutgers quarterback, talks about his recent visit to Syracuse.

Cole Snyder took a visit to Syracuse over the weekend, with the former Rutgers football quarterback looking to wind down his recruitment since entering the transfer portal last week.

Snyder, who spent three seasons at Rutgers and joined the program as part of the 2019 recruiting class, has been outstanding at Buffalo for the past two years. In 2023, Snyder completed 54.6 percent of his passes for 2,109 yards with 13 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

Over the weekend, Snyder took a visit to Syracuse where he was reunited with [autotag]Fran Brown[/autotag]. The Orange’s new head coach was the secondary coach at Rutgers during Snyder’s last two years with the Big Ten program.

“I really enjoyed my time at ‘Cuse this weekend. The other recruits that were there were all great guys,” Snyder said on Monday.

“I spent a lot of time with Meeks (Jackson Meeks) and I feel like we could have a great connection. Being around the coaches in person just showed me what type of culture they were going to have. Super excited for ‘Cuse football – they are going to be successful soon. It’s not a rebuild it’s a reload! I can feel the energy around the program.”

Meeks is in the transfer portal after having spent the last three seasons at Georgia. Brown spent the last two years at Georgia as their safeties coach.

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“Me and Jackson Meeks really connected. I love the way he plays the game and I think we could have a great connection early on,” Snyder said.

“Very familiar with this staff as well, having been in the same program as at least seven staff members. It was crazy to think about all the relationships that I already had and the familiarity around the program.”

In two seasons at Rutgers, Snyder completed 21-of-31 passes for 165 yards with a touchdown.

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Snyder, who is from upstate New York, likes the direction Brown is bringing to the program.

Brown has injected some much-needed energy into the program, already landing several recruits from over the weekend’s official visits.

“It has been great so far. He expressed a ton of confidence in me which as a guy with 365 days left in college football is important to me,” Snyder said of his relationship with Brown.

“I love everything he is about and the mission he has for this program.”

Snyder also holds offers from Rice and Vanderbilt coming out of the portal.

Jaylan Hornsby, a 3-star wide receiver, de-commits from Texas A&M and verbals to Syracuse

Jaylan Hornsby commits to Syracuse football.

Fresh off an official visit this past weekend to Syracuse, Jaylan Hornsby has de-committed from Texas A&M. The three-star wide receiver has flipped to Syracuse.

The commitment represents a big splash from Syracuse head coach Fran Brown. From Winslow Township (Atco, New Jersey), Hornsby is a top 10 player in the state according to On3, 247Sports and Rivals.

The 6-foot-2, 195-pound wide receiver also held offers from Duke, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Penn State and West Virginia among others.

Hornsby posted his commitment on Sunday evening via X, the social media platform that was formerly known as Twitter. Hornsby had been committed to Texas A&M since July 1.

 

Hornsby becomes the first player to flip to Syracuse since Fran Brown was hired last week.

A former assistant at Georgia where he coached the safeties, Brown has been ranked among the top recruiters in the nation over the past four years. He had previously been the secondary coach at Rutgers prior to joining Georgia in 2022.

Fran Brown is already pulling in SEC-level recruits for official visits to Syracuse

Fran Brown is getting some SEC quality recruits on campus at Syracuse.

Fran Brown has hit the ground running, the Syracuse head football coach is already doing a tremendous job in getting recruits excited about the program.

This shouldn’t be a surprise, given that Brown has been one of the top recruiters in the nation over the past four years. Brown comes to Syracuse having spent the last two years as the safeties coach at Georgia.

Prior to that, he was the secondary coach at Rutgers.

And with Syracuse desperately needing an injection of talent and star power, Brown’s first weekend of official visits is rolling along in impressive fashion.

There is an impressive list of visitors on campus right now at Syracuse. This is what a program in the SEC brings in for official visits, not a mid-table ACC program. Impressive stuff from Brown.

Via multiple sources, the following players are confirmed to be at Syracuse this weekend:

 

The most interesting name here, of course, is Bolden, who is one of the top-ranked players in the nation. Syracuse would need a lot to get Bolden to de-commit from Florida State (or to not flip to say Georgia) but even getting a player of his caliber on campus is impressive.

Former Rutgers quarterback Cole Snyder has an upcoming visit with Syracuse and Fran Brown

Cole Snyder, a former Rutgers quarterback, is set to visit Syracuse this weekend.

A former Rutgers football quarterback, Cole Snyder is set to visit Syracuse this weekend. It is a recruiting trip that will reunite Snyder with newly named Syracuse head coach Fran Brown.

Snyder came to Rutgers as a three-star recruit in the 2019 recruiting class. He was ranked the ninth-best player in New York according to 247Sports.

He saw limited snaps at Rutgers in 2020 and 2021 and then entered the transfer portal. During his last two years at Rutgers, he overlapped with Brown, who was the secondary coach with the Big Ten program.

In his last two seasons, which were spent at Buffalo as their starting quarterback, Snyder threw for 5,139 yards with 31 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. He completed 57 percent of his passes.

Snyder will be at Syracuse on Friday and Saturday.

“I’m super excited about Syracuse this weekend. I think coach Brown is the right guy for the job. I spent time with him at Rutgers and he was a fan favorite there,” Snyder told Rutgers Wire on Thursday.

“The thing that excites me most about this team is the guys they have returning. I think they have a ton of weapons with an experienced o-line – he latter being the most important part. Excited to see what ‘Cuse is all about this weekend. Syracuse is home for me, with it being an upstate New York guy!”

Midweek, Snyder visited Vanderbilt, who offered him early in the transfer portal process,

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Last weekend, he took a visit to Rice, another program that offered.

“It was great – I really enjoyed my time in Houston,” Synder said.

“I loved the hospitality from the coaches, players and support staff.”