Fran Brown Coaching Staff

[AgentOrange]

Solid hire. Here’s his Purdue bio.

Fun Fact: He’s a 1994 WVU grad (don’t hold it against him)

 

[sutomcat]

This was a great summary! Any new thoughts on who the remaining coaches will be? Your post is the only post I’ve seen that consolidates everyone, so thanks!! I follow the board closely but things are happening so fast it’s hard to keep up!!

Quick update:

OC/RB Nixon He has always coached RBs and does a great job at it. OC needs to coach another position.
QB Michael Johnson? This appears to be confirmed now with Coach Johnson out recruiting
TE Campanile He could coach pretty much anywhere but he knows this group and continuity is good
OL Dale Williams

DC/DT Robinson
DE Williams
LB Robert Wright (former UB DC)
Secondary ?

STC Liggy

As far as I know, Johnson, Campanile and Ligachesky are the only coaches being retained. Liggy might end up as an analyst, ala the way Georgia does things. If that happens, I think we will have a coach for the CBs and a coach for the safeties.

It is either that or we have a STC coach and a secondary coach. Georgia has done both in recent years.

Personally, I would be happier configuring the staff with a CB and a safety coach and making the STC position an analyst position.

Having one secondary coach responsible for 5 starting positions on the defense is asking a lot.

 

[Shrmdougluvr]

Quick update:

OC/RB Nixon He has always coached RBs and does a great job at it. OC needs to coach another position.
QB Michael Johnson? This appears to be confirmed now with Coach Johnson out recruiting
TE Campanile He could coach pretty much anywhere but he knows this group and continuity is good
OL Dale Williams

DC/DT Robinson
DE Williams
LB Robert Wright (former UB DC)
Secondary ?

STC Liggy

As far as I know, Johnson, Campanile and Ligachesky are the only coaches being retained. Liggy might end up as an analyst, ala the way Georgia does things. If that happens, I think we will have a coach for the CBs and a coach for the safeties.

It is either that or we have a STC coach and a secondary coach. Georgia has done both in recent years.

Personally, I would be happier configuring the staff with a CB and a safety coach and making the STC position an analyst position.

Having one secondary coach responsible for 5 starting positions on the defense is asking a lot.

Redd is out recruiting and is the only coach with DMV ties. While that may be temporary, it could also mean that Coach Fran intends to have two receiver coaches (the other being Douglas, who you are missing).

It would make sense that Ligashesky coach specials and stay on the recruiting trail as he has central and western pa ties.

I think Coach Fran will assist coaching DBs and will hire a full time coach for the position. During his introductory presser he hinted at Coyle, but that seems unlikely to me.

Looks like we have guys with recruiting ties to NJ, PA, OH, MI, IL, IN, DMV, GA, and Texas. I have no clue where Douglas and Wright will recruit, but we are weak in Florida and if we don't pull a kid from there this year, it'll be consecutive years.

 

[HRE Otto IV]

Quick update:

OC/RB Nixon He has always coached RBs and does a great job at it. OC needs to coach another position.
QB Michael Johnson? This appears to be confirmed now with Coach Johnson out recruiting
TE Campanile He could coach pretty much anywhere but he knows this group and continuity is good
OL Dale Williams

DC/DT Robinson
DE Williams
LB Robert Wright (former UB DC)
Secondary ?

STC Liggy

As far as I know, Johnson, Campanile and Ligachesky are the only coaches being retained. Liggy might end up as an analyst, ala the way Georgia does things. If that happens, I think we will have a coach for the CBs and a coach for the safeties.

It is either that or we have a STC coach and a secondary coach. Georgia has done both in recent years.

Personally, I would be happier configuring the staff with a CB and a safety coach and making the STC position an analyst position.

Having one secondary coach responsible for 5 starting positions on the defense is asking a lot.

I think Ligachesky has been a disappointment. Kicking, Punting, and Returning have a lot to do with talent. That being said we haven't been blocking kicks/punts and our punt coverage was horrendous this year. We allowed four 30+ PRs this year in conference while the entire rest of the ACC combined for five. Next to last in the ACC gave up 10.29 per return and we gave up 18.4 per return.

 

[Shrmdougluvr]

I think Ligachesky has been a disappointment. Kicking, Punting, and Returning have a lot to do with talent. That being said we haven't been blocking kicks/punts and our punt coverage was horrendous this year. We allowed four 30+ PRs this year in conference while the entire rest of the ACC combined for five. Next to last in the ACC gave up 10.29 per return and we gave up 18.4 per return.

I couldnt say if he's a disappointment or not, but during the Colgate game, the punt team got illegal formation and offsides penalties on back-to-back snaps, turning a 4th and 9 into a Colgate first down. I'd never seen anything like that before.

 

[007]

I think Ligachesky has been a disappointment. Kicking, Punting, and Returning have a lot to do with talent. That being said we haven't been blocking kicks/punts and our punt coverage was horrendous this year. We allowed four 30+ PRs this year in conference while the entire rest of the ACC combined for five. Next to last in the ACC gave up 10.29 per return and we gave up 18.4 per return.

ST penalties were a red flag to me.

 

[BVille44]

Did not know that Johnson was a QB coach in the NFL for the Chargers, 49er’s and Falcons.

 

[phil77]

Quick update:

OC/RB Nixon He has always coached RBs and does a great job at it. OC needs to coach another position.
QB Michael Johnson? This appears to be confirmed now with Coach Johnson out recruiting
TE Campanile He could coach pretty much anywhere but he knows this group and continuity is good
OL Dale Williams

DC/DT Robinson
DE Williams
LB Robert Wright (former UB DC)
Secondary ?

STC Liggy

As far as I know, Johnson, Campanile and Ligachesky are the only coaches being retained. Liggy might end up as an analyst, ala the way Georgia does things. If that happens, I think we will have a coach for the CBs and a coach for the safeties.

It is either that or we have a STC coach and a secondary coach. Georgia has done both in recent years.

Personally, I would be happier configuring the staff with a CB and a safety coach and making the STC position an analyst position.

Having one secondary coach responsible for 5 starting positions on the defense is asking a lot.

Dont we have a couple of WR coaches?

 

[mark79]

Quick update:

OC/RB Nixon He has always coached RBs and does a great job at it. OC needs to coach another position.
QB Michael Johnson? This appears to be confirmed now with Coach Johnson out recruiting
TE Campanile He could coach pretty much anywhere but he knows this group and continuity is good
OL Dale Williams

DC/DT Robinson
DE Williams
LB Robert Wright (former UB DC)
Secondary ?

STC Liggy

As far as I know, Johnson, Campanile and Ligachesky are the only coaches being retained. Liggy might end up as an analyst, ala the way Georgia does things. If that happens, I think we will have a coach for the CBs and a coach for the safeties.

It is either that or we have a STC coach and a secondary coach. Georgia has done both in recent years.

Personally, I would be happier configuring the staff with a CB and a safety coach and making the STC position an analyst position.

Having one secondary coach responsible for 5 starting positions on the defense is asking a lot.

Thanks Tom.

Redd is out recruiting and is the only coach with DMV ties. While that may be temporary, it could also mean that Coach Fran intends to have two receiver coaches (the other being Douglas, who you are missing).

It would make sense that Ligashesky coach specials and stay on the recruiting trail as he has central and western pa ties.

I think Coach Fran will assist coaching DBs and will hire a full time coach for the position. During his introductory presser he hinted at Coyle, but that seems unlikely to me.

Looks like we have guys with recruiting ties to NJ, PA, OH, MI, IL, IN, DMV, GA, and Texas. I have no clue where Douglas and Wright will recruit, but we are week in Florida and if we don't pull a kid from there this year, it'll be consecutive years.

Thank you both for putting this together. I was finding it really hard to piece together.

 

[kmart128]

Quick update:

OC/RB Nixon He has always coached RBs and does a great job at it. OC needs to coach another position.
QB Michael Johnson? This appears to be confirmed now with Coach Johnson out recruiting
TE Campanile He could coach pretty much anywhere but he knows this group and continuity is good
OL Dale Williams

DC/DT Robinson
DE Williams
LB Robert Wright (former UB DC)
Secondary ?

STC Liggy

As far as I know, Johnson, Campanile and Ligachesky are the only coaches being retained. Liggy might end up as an analyst, ala the way Georgia does things. If that happens, I think we will have a coach for the CBs and a coach for the safeties.

It is either that or we have a STC coach and a secondary coach. Georgia has done both in recent years.

Personally, I would be happier configuring the staff with a CB and a safety coach and making the STC position an analyst position.

Having one secondary coach responsible for 5 starting positions on the defense is asking a lot.

Robert Wright also could take Special Team Coordinator duties... he has worked with Special Teams nunerous times in the past

 

[Actionthrill]

When it comes to ST I hope HCFB does look back to the Coach P days. It used to annoy me so much back in the 90s that Virginia Tech was the team known for their ST when our ST was second to none. I hope HCFB brings back the ST we had in the 90s.

 

[PhatOrange]

When it comes to ST I hope HCFB does look back to the Coach P days. It used to annoy me so much back in the 90s that Virginia Tech was the team known for their ST when our ST was second to none. I hope HCFB brings back the ST we had in the 90s.

I’d study both.

 

[donniesyracuse]

When it comes to ST I hope HCFB does look back to the Coach P days. It used to annoy me so much back in the 90s that Virginia Tech was the team known for their ST when our ST was second to none. I hope HCFB brings back the ST we had in the 90s.

We need the swinging gate!

 

[sutomcat]

Robert Wright also could take Special Team Coordinator duties... he has worked with Special Teams nunerous times in the past

His social media profile says he is also a co-DC for Syracuse. So adding STC to the mix as well would be a lot for him but yes, he has a good background in this area.

I like that SU is doing the co-coordinator thing. It it something a lot of big programs have been doing. Maybe an excuse to pay more coaches more but I think in most cases, there is a legit split of coordinator responsibilities. Maybe they do game planning/playing time decisions together but each has more influence in their areas of specialization.

Doing it leaves the program better able to handle the loss of a coordinator because there is always another high level person on the staff.

Coach Douglas hasn't been assigned a title yet but based on how Pete Thamel described the hires of Wright and Douglas, I expect that he will get a title like WR and co-OC or WR and passing game coordinator.

I think Coach Nixon will get a title like co-OC and RB coach. Or RB coach and run game coordinator.

Let's see if I am right...

 

[shu 49]

When it comes to ST I hope HCFB does look back to the Coach P days. It used to annoy me so much back in the 90s that Virginia Tech was the team known for their ST when our ST was second to none. I hope HCFB brings back the ST we had in the 90s.

They were known more for blocked kicks.

 

[bnoro]

His social media profile says he is also a co-DC for Syracuse. So adding STC to the mix as well would be a lot for him but yes, he has a good background in this area.

I like that SU is doing the co-coordinator thing. It it something a lot of big programs have been doing. Maybe an excuse to pay more coaches more but I think in most cases, there is a legit split of coordinator responsibilities. Maybe they do game planning/playing time decisions together but each has more influence in their areas of specialization.

Doing it leaves the program better able to handle the loss of a coordinator because there is always another high level person on the staff.

Coach Douglas hasn't been assigned a title yet but based on how Pete Thamel described the hires of Wright and Douglas, I expect that he will get a title like WR and co-OC or WR and passing game coordinator.

I think Coach Nixon will get a title like co-OC and RB coach. Or RB coach and run game coordinator.

Let's see if I am right...

Douglas' twitter says WR/Pass Game Coordinator

 

[cusefan88]

I'll be curious to see how big the staff is for the non-recruiting positions. The Analysts, Grad Students, etc.

 

[721Comstock]

I'll be curious to see how big the staff is for the non-recruiting positions. The Analysts, Grad Students, etc.

You like big staffs, and you cannot lie?

 

[Whitey23]

 

[sutomcat]

Another update:

Jeff Nixon RB/OC
Nunzio Campanile QB Might help us land Steve Angeli. Nunzio coached his HS. His brother does now.
Ross Douglas WR/Pass coordinator
Michael Johnson TE? Either TE or RB and I think Jeff is going to coach the RBs
Dale Williams OL

Elijah Robinson DT/co-DC
Nick Williams DE
Robert Wright LB/co-DC
? DB

Bob Ligashesky STC

Biggest remaining question is what happens with the DBs.

Agree, CBs are near and dear to Coach Brown’s heart and maybe he will keep them.. But as a first time HC, not sure it is a great idea to try and fill a key assistant position and be a HC. And recruit more than possibly any other HC in the country.

I would hire a CB coach and a safety coach. And make Liggy a special teams analyst. Hope the new safety coach has been a DC before, preferably in the ACC. If the coach takes both positions, I hope they have a lot of experience coaching really good defenses.

 

[kingtidge]

And his banner still says "Tight Ends" LOL...

 

[721Comstock]

And his banner still says "Tight Ends" LOL...

Well, TBF - at Cuse, QB’s and TE’s are kinda the same thing, and interchangeable.

 

[kingtidge]

Well, TBF - at Cuse, QB’s and TE’s are kinda the same thing, and interchangeable.

Babers still has his cuse Head Coach banner up... prolly needs one of the kids to update it for him...

Hopefully with Nunz as QB coach soft-announced, an actual QB transfer with be a soon shoe to drop...

 

[money3189]

Yup I mentioned this a while back

 

[SUDadx2]

Another update:

Jeff Nixon RB/OC
Nunzio Campanile QB Might help us land Steve Angeli. Nunzio coached his HS. His brother does now.
Ross Douglas WR/Pass coordinator
Michael Johnson TE? Either TE or RB and I think Jeff is going to coach the RBs
Dale Williams OL

Elijah Robinson DT/co-DC
Nick Williams DE
Robert Wright LB/co-DC
? DB

Bob Ligashesky STC

Biggest remaining question is what happens with the DBs.

Agree, CBs are near and dear to Coach Brown’s heart and maybe he will keep them.. But as a first time HC, not sure it is a great idea to try and fill a key assistant position and be a HC. And recruit more than possibly any other HC in the country.

I would hire a CB coach and a safety coach. And make Liggy a special teams analyst. Hope the new safety coach has been a DC before, preferably in the ACC. If the coach takes both positions, I hope they have a lot of experience coaching really good defenses.

Coach Fran will be coaching the corners (why wouldn't he?) and bringing in a GA or Quality Control guy to assist him.

So, it appears we need someone to coach the safeties.

Where does Coach Devin Redd fit in? He is listed as "Assistant WR". Coach Redd has been on the road making several offers this week to 2025 players in the DMV area. Is he allowed to be out recruiting during this transition, but when the new staff is full will he be more of an analyst?

In 2023 Syracuse had 4 graduate assistants, 4 Quality Control position and two Analyst positions.

In 2023 Georgia had 6 graduate assistants, 13 quality control people, 3 analysts and 3 student assistants.

Not only is Syracuse football grossly understaffed in comparison to an elite program like Georgia, but some of our hires seem to have been low budget hires. ADJW must have saved a few bucks when he hired a position coach to be the HC. I can't see HCFB making $4 mil as his predecessor did. I'm sure we had to pay a pretty penny for E Rob and Nixon, but I'm also sure Anae (in 2022) as well as Long and White also didn't come cheap. I wonder how the money for Brown's assistants compares to Dino's assistants.

Either way, the salary pool for assistant needs a bump and the number of support personnel needs a bump. Please save your breath if you're going to tell me "this is the most money SU has ever spent on coaches and the best facilities we have ever had". I'm sure that is correct, but SU also has a 97-146 record over the last twenty years. If you want a different outcome, we are going to need to do things differently.