Syracuse hires Georgia assistant Fran Brown as new football head coach

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — A New Jersey native who works on the coaching staff of the two-time defending national champion Georgia Bulldogs will be the next head coach of the Syracuse University football team.

Fran Brown, currently defensive backs (DB) coach at the University of Georgia, has been named Syracuse’s 31st head coach, Syracuse Director of Athletics John Wildhack announced Tuesday afternoon.

Brown, 41, is regarded as the “nation’s top recruiter,” Syracuse said in its announcement.

Brown will replace Dino Babers, 62, who was fired as the Orange head coach on Nov. 19, following the team’s loss at Georgia Tech.

“I am incredibly proud to be leading Syracuse Football at a university with a rich and storied tradition of academic and athletic excellence,” Brown said in a Syracuse University news 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.”

Syracuse cites 247Sports, which indicates Brown is the No. 1 recruiter in the nation for the 2024 recruiting class and has played a “critical role” in attracting top talent to Georgia, a program loaded with high-level football players. This designation follows his recruitment of two five-star prospects, both of whom are ranked No. 1 in their respective positions.

Brown brings with him “deep ties” to New Jersey and the Northeast, which will enable him to produce “immediate recruiting success” for the Orange, Syracuse contended in its release.

“Fran is an outstanding coach, recruiter and person, and exactly who we need to take Syracuse Football to the next level,” Wildhack said. “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.”

Brown has been on the Georgia coaching staff for the last two years. His prior coaching stints included serving as DB coach at Rutgers from 2020-21, co-defensive coordinator at Temple in 2019, as DB coach at Baylor from 2017-18, and as DB coach at Temple from 2013-16. He has been recognized for his recruiting chops at all his coaching stops.

Brown was a star player at Camden High School in New Jersey, played college football at Western Carolina, and was a player on the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals for parts of two seasons.