Syracuse hires Fran Brown: Georgia DB coach widely regarded as one of the nation’s best recruiters

Syracuse has hired Georgia defensive backs coach Fran Brown as its next head coach, the school announced Tuesday. Though he’s finishing his second season in Athens, Georgia, for the two-time reigning national champions, the New Jersey native has plenty of experience in the Northeast with previous stops as an assistant at Rutgers and Temple. He was hired by the Bulldogs in 2022 to replace former DB coach Jahmile Addae, who departed for the same position at Miami. 

“I am incredibly proud to be leading Syracuse Football at a university with a rich and storied tradition of academic and athletic excellence,” Brown in a press release. “Syracuse Football has outstanding talent, great facilities and passionate alumni. The success of the players is my No. 1 priority—on and off the field. I want my guys to succeed in life, because they played football at Syracuse. My immediate area of focus is building relationships with my current players and putting together an elite staff, while also having fun on the recruiting trail. I’m ready to get to work and look forward to building something special for our fans.”

Brown, 41, is considered one of the best recruiters in the nation. In Georgia’s top-ranked 2024 recruiting class alone, Brown helped land five-star DB Ellis Robinson IV, five-star LB Justin Williams and four-star DB Demello Jones, among others. Brown ranks as the No. 1 national position group recruiter, according to 247Sports.

He will be officially introduced at a press conference on the Syracuse campus on Monday. This would presumably allow him to coach for the Dawgs in the SEC title game Saturday. 

“Fran is an outstanding coach, recruiter and person, and exactly who we need to take Syracuse Football to the next level,” Syracuse athletic director John Wildhack said in a press release. “Fran has clearly articulated a vision for the future of our football program, and he is a powerhouse recruiter with deep ties to the geographies from where we need to draw consistently. Fran has had tremendous success recruiting to a variety of programs—in the South, Southwest and Northeast, and I have no doubt he will bring that track record here to Syracuse. I am looking forward to welcoming Fran and his family to the Orange community. The future is bright for our football program.”

Syracuse moved on from eighth-year coach Dino Babers earlier this month after losing six of its final seven games. Babers was 41-55, including a 20-45 mark in ACC play, during his time with the Orange. 

Former Florida and Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen previously emerged as a possible candidate to succeed Babers, but the current ESPN college football analyst shot down the rumors with a social media post on Monday. Mullen’s buyout from UF will net him at least $1 million each year through 2027. 

“Love the cuse. But will not be the next head coach.” Mullen wrote.