Tag: Syracuse Football

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.

2024 4-Star WR Jaylan Hornsby has flipped to Syracuse

Texas A&M has lost yet another 2024 commit as 4-Star WR Jaylan Hornsby has flipped to Syracuse as of Sunday afternoon.

The Mike Elko era for Texas A&M Football is fast underway. While Aggie fans are excited about a much-needed change at the helm, this transition was almost going to come with attrition through the transfer portal and the 2024 recruiting class.

Already losing multiple prospects in the cycle, 2024 four-star wide receiver Jaylan Hornsby, who committed to the Aggies this summer, has flipped his Aggie pledge to the Syracuse Orange, as he becomes the first recruit to join current interim head coach Elijah Robinson, who is set to take over as Syracuse’s defensive coordinator immediately after A&M’s Dec. 27 bowl game.

After Elko hired Collin Klein as the Aggies’ new offensive coordinator, an emphasis on speed in the receiving core likely hindered Hornsby’s future outlook with the program, as he is more an outside X possession prospect and is a much better fit in the ACC. Also, Hornsby is from New Jersey, so this is simply a no-brainer if staying close to home becomes a priority.

According to 247Sports, Hornsby is the 83rd-ranked player in the 2024 class and the 10th-ranked player in New Jersey. Three-star wide receivers Earnest Campbell and Debron Gatling remain the only committed WR prospects in Texas A&M’s 2024 class.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Cameron on Twitter: @CameronOhnysty.

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.”

The Fran Brown effect is already being felt at Syracuse

Fran Brown is already creating some buzz on the recruiting trail.

Fran Brown is already having a not-insignificant impact on Syracuse football. The newly appointed head coach of the ACC program is creating some buzz on the recruiting trail.

And that, for anyone who knows Brown, isn’t a shock in the slightest.

Consider the case of [autotag]Jaelyne Matthews[/autotag], a four-star offensive lineman from New Jersey. A member of the 2024 recruiting class, Matthews announced his top nine this past Friday and the list did not include Syracuse. Now after the hiring of Brown, Matthews decided to include Syracuse in a revised cutdown.

While the Syracuse staff is still coming together, the hire of Elijah Robinson as defensive coordinator (most recently the defensive line coach at Texas A&M) gives Brown a staff that will be a hit with recruits.

In the case of Matthews, who is committed to play in the 2025 Under Armour All-America Game, it is already paying dividends.

“I believe in the Brown and Robinson effects and they’re gonna shock the world,” Matthews said.

“They have the top two recruiters and coaches and people in the country and why would you not want to be part of that?”

Syracuse represents Brown’s first job as a head coach at any level. But he has had a tremendous resume, with Power Five stops at Baylor, Georgia and Rutgers helping to round out his coaching view.

Brown is considered the top recruiter in the nation, with a genuine ability to connect with high school players and their families. He has deep ties to the region, having been on staff at Temple (he left the Owls in 2019 as their defensive coordinator) and then was the secondary coach for two seasons at Rutgers.

His two subsequent years at Georgia as their safeties coach, beginning in 2022, certainly give him some juice as heads to a rebuilding Orange program.

Reaction: Syracuse introduces Fran Brown as head coach

Syracuse Orange introduce former Georgia football defensive backs coach Fran Brown as head coach

The Syracuse Orange have officially introduced Fran Brown as their 31st head football coach in school history. Brown, a former Georgia Bulldogs defensive backs coach, was introduced in a Dec. 4 press conference. Brown does not plan to coach Georgia in the Orange Bowl against Florida State.

Fran Brown replaced the recently fired Syracuse coach Dino Babers. Leading the Syracuse football program is a challenging job because of its location and lack of financial resources compared to other Power Five schools.

Brown is a recruiting expert in the Northeast and is a good hire for Syracuse, which is trying to improve its roster. Now, Brown will focus on retaining talent on the Syracuse roster while adding good players via the transfer portal and traditional recruiting.

Social media reacted to Brown’s introduction at Syracuse:

Report: Texas A&M interim HC Elijah Robinson is headed to Syracuse in a new role

It has been reported that Texas A&M interim head coach Elijah Robinson will depart the program to become Syracuse’s new DC.

A rumor has become fact, as current Texas A&M Football interim head coach Elijah Robinson will leave the program to become the new defensive coordinator under first-year head coach Fran Brown.

Late last week, it was reported by Syracuse.com writer Emily Leiker that a 2024 offensive lineman, Noah Rosahac, stated that after verbally committing to Syracuse, new head coach Fran Brown reportedly told him:

“The (new) defensive coordinator is coming from the SEC.”

This immediately led to speculation that Robinson, who had received a contract to stay with the Aggies under new head coach Mike Elko, would entertain the idea due to his relationship with Brown, as the two coached together at Baylor and Temple over a decade ago.

While the specifics regarding a potential raise/promotion was a part of the contract, TexAgs Billy Liucci confirmed on Sunday afternoon that this would be the first shot at a defensive coordinator position for Robinson, likely indicating that he was not a candidate for Texas A&M’s D-coordinator spot, currently filled by D.J. Durkin. However, according to Liucci, Robinson received a highly lucrative contract that would have made him the highest-paid position coach in the country.

Since coming on board under previous head coach Jimbo Fisher in 2018, Robinson has served in several roles, most recently as the defensive line coach, co-head coach, and assistant defensive coordinator.

How Robinson’s exit will affect recruiting is to be seen, but knowing his relationship with nearly every player on the roster is quite telling, and how Elko will replace such a beloved and influential coach could define his coaching tenure.

However, in the matter that Robinson would depart, Liucci also noted that there is a plan in place that will be announced in a matter of time.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Cameron on Twitter: @CameronOhnysty.

Rumor: Is Elijah Robinson a candidate to leave Texas A&M for a DC position?

Rumors regarding Texas A&M interim HC Elijah Robinson’s future with the program swirl regarding a potential outside promotion.

After new Texas A&M Football head coach Mike Elko was officially hired last Monday, the status of beloved interim head coach Elijah Robinson, who had served as the program’s defensive line coach/ ace recruiter since the 2018 season under then-head coach Jimbo Fisher.

While initial optimism regarding his continued tenure with the program under a familiar face in Elko, whom he served under for four seasons during Elko’s time as A&M’s elite defensive coordinator (2018-2021), things have apparently changed after a rumor regarding a potential change of scenery emerged on Friday afternoon.

Former Georgia defensive backs coach Fran Brown was recently hired as Syracuse’s new head football coach on Nov. 28, as the elite recruiter outright earned the position after helping build the Bulldogs into a talent machine, while his recruiting ties to the New Jersey area attracted the University to his immense potential.

Amid assembling his staff, Syracuse.com writer Emily Leiker reported that a 2024 offensive lineman, Noah Rosahac, stated that after verbally committing to Syracuse, Fran Brown reportedly told him:

“The (new) defensive coordinator is coming from the SEC.”

Well, that could be anyone, but knowing Robinson’s connection to Brown after coaching together at Temple and Baylor for several seasons, this is something to monitor moving forward. While Mike Elko has already made several staff changes, defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin remains in his role, which could impact Robinson’s future decision.

Elijah Robinson will finish his interim coaching stint during the Aggies’ impending bowl game, which will be announced by the end of the weekend.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Cameron on Twitter: @CameronOhnysty.

What impact will Syracuse’s hire of Fran Brown have on Rutgers and Penn State? Mike Farrell weighs in

What will be Fran Brown’s impact on the recruiting trail?

Former Rutgers football assistant Fran Brown was hired by Syracuse this week to be their head coach. It is a move rife with intrigue, and one that could have serious implications for recruiting in the area.

Consistently ranked among the top recruiters in the nation, Brown has deep ties to Philadelphia, all of New Jersey and the tri-state area.

Known as the ‘godfather of recruiting,’ Farrell in many ways created the concept of covering recruiting into the modern phenomenon that it is today.

Brown’s coaching resume is certainly one with stops that could help him at Syracuse.

He spent time at Temple, working his way up to the role of defensive coordinator in 2019 before leaving the next season to join the Rutgers football rebuild under head coach Greg Schiano. Two years as the Rutgers secondary coach led to an opportunity to become the safeties coach at Georgia, the twice-defending national champions.

“Amazing recruiter and a local guy so that will help efforts in New Jersey, New York, New England, etc. – he’s also well connected from his SEC days so that will help greatly in the portal,” Farrell told Rutgers Wire.

“Lack of coordinator experience (at the Power Five level) is an issue and worry and this job is a lot for someone with head coaching experience so an assistant coach is a massive gamble.”

The hiring should help elevate Syracuse’s recruiting profile which is important as the Orange have been mired near the bottom of the ACC in recruiting high school talent. But what will be the impact for Rutgers and programs like Penn State and Boston College in terms of the Brown effect?

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All those programs recruit New Jersey and New York heavily as well as Florida. Areas that Brown now has deep ties.

Farrell doesn’t think it changes the current recruiting landscape very much.

“There should be a slight uptick locally, nothing crazy as Syracuse is a tough place to lure kids to,” Farrell said.

“The key will be winning over the long term, which is why he needs a full five-year commitment.”

Follow Mike Farrell for recruiting news and information as well as college football insight @mfarrellsports.