Fran Brown

[tep624]

If we actually reach the ceiling of “we have top talent, and lack the coaching chops to get over the top” then we are in a much better place than we are now, and are more likely to bring in a guy with top coaching credentials then.

let’s say the top two candidates reach their strength ceiling and weakness ceiling

- Brown brings in top talent, arguably consistent top 3-5 classes in the ACC, buts he’s not a good enough coach to take advantage of it and consistently have us competing for ACC titles, sadly we fall short and are roughly middle of the pack each year.

- Chesney is a program builder and talent developer. He is universally a top 3-5 coach in the ACC and always has us outperforming low recruiting classes (bottom 5 in the ACC) and we consistently end up in the middle of the ACC.

both are positive steps forward from today and we would be happy to be there right now. But if we were in that spot and lost our coach for whatever reason And needed to replace them, which situation has the program in a more attractive location for the next HC hire? one could argue both are essentially the same result, improvement to mid tier ACC play. I wouldn’t make that case

I’d argue Brown does, because the talent is there for a new coach to win with, and Cuse has now cultivated a hotbed in the recruiting fronts and has players excited about joining us.

thats how I’m thinking about it, and I understand why we might be siding with the recruiter and counting on that skill to carry us forwards

All things equal - you take the guy that brings the talent.

Chesney will bring over his HC guys, will manage a well run program, but will struggle to improve our talent level and therefore has a natural built in ceiling.

 

[PhatOrange]

He emphasized it. Along with other stuff.

I’ll have to go back and listen. He emphasized about a dozen things and repeated a coupe.

 

[Entropic]

Come on everyone, we're so close! We're just a QB, Several offensive and defensive linemen, DBs, WRs and an entire coaching staff away from being good again.

 

[sdhall01]

Ones that know Fran and want to work with him. Not that difficult to come up with a couple possibilities

I, for one, can't wait to have the QB coach from Directional Michigan and the safeties coach from Cornell. Seems to be in our price range.

 

[tep624]

I'll be honest, I'm not exactly sure what AHC is other than "please don't leave and become a coordinator elsewhere." I missed the co-DC piece. That's on me. He has one year less experience as co-DC, and two years less experience as sole DC than Chris Ash.

I hear you. Believe me I wanted Mullen and wouldn’t have considered any of these other guys if he was on the board.

We’re at the point of making the best of bad decisions. I don’t like it but it’s where we are. Brown has the lowest floor but also the highest ceiling so that’s where I’m going.

 

[JrodCuse]

Why are Bob Chesney and Jason Candle so great? Other than them being HC’s and winners at lower level programs where they have distinct advantages to their peers?

They’re both milk toast and there is no guarantee either would be succesful here. I personally think Candle would be a disaster.

Ok what’s a milk toast?

 

[CuseBlood44]

I like Brown a lot more than Chesney. And if I’m wrong I can live with that.

I'm sorry but I see a lot of people talking themselves into this hire. This time last week we were bosting about playing "big boy football" with Mullen, Golden, etc. Now we hire a DB coach and everyone is pumped about it. I get the recruiting angle here but to me this is exactly the type of coach we didn't want this time last week.

Wildhack betting his career on two unknowns in Autry and now Fran Brown is some type of gamble for him. Hope he's right on one of them.

Everyone just loves the new names. If it was Brown who was the top choice before Mullen and now chesney’s name was emerging I bet the reaction would be flipped. Total recency bias reaction and people taking the Mullen frustration out on chesney

 

[IthacaBarrel]

I, for one, can't wait to have the QB coach from Directional Michigan and the safeties coach from Cornell. Seems to be in our price range.

Yeah I doubt it. I think you see good hires at both coordinator positions

 

[Willy75]

Look at Maryland. That's our ceiling. And we aren't smack dab in a solid recruiting area like they are.

This is insanity. Year after year we hear we're a developmental program, we need guys who can coach our guys up, an Xs and Os guy. But our chance to choose a guy comes up and we grab a recruiter.

We're like the dude whose wife sends him to the grocery store with a list of what he needs to get for dinner and no matter what's on the list he comes back with chips and beer.

Not only do we grab a recruiter, but one with little experience in recruiting the portal! Kirby Smart has made a point of saying he doesn't want (or need) to use it.

 

[HRE Otto IV]

If we actually reach the ceiling of “we have top talent, and lack the coaching chops to get over the top” then we are in a much better place than we are now, and are more likely to bring in a guy with top coaching credentials then.

let’s say the top two candidates reach their strength ceiling and weakness ceiling

- Brown brings in top talent, arguably consistent top 3-5 classes in the ACC, buts he’s not a good enough coach to take advantage of it and consistently have us competing for ACC titles, sadly we fall short and are roughly middle of the pack each year.

- Chesney is a program builder and talent developer. He is universally a top 3-5 coach in the ACC and always has us outperforming low recruiting classes (bottom 5 in the ACC) and we consistently end up in the middle of the ACC.

both are positive steps forward from today and we would be happy to be there right now. But if we were in that spot and lost our coach for whatever reason And needed to replace them, which situation has the program in a more attractive location for the next HC hire? one could argue both are essentially the same result, improvement to mid tier ACC play. I wouldn’t make that case

I’d argue Brown does, because the talent is there for a new coach to win with, and Cuse has now cultivated a hotbed in the recruiting fronts and has players excited about joining us.

thats how I’m thinking about it, and I understand why we might be siding with the recruiter and counting on that skill to carry us forwards

We aren't getting Top half (let alone 5) of the ACC classes without results on the field. So we need Brown to go 9-4 with bottom half of the ACC recruiting the next 3 years so we can then start to get those Top 5 classes you mention.



Edit

Golden gave you the recruiting and the HC/DC experience. Heck Manny Diaz too. There is no need to go with zero experience when the recruiting gap with the above two is small.

 

[GoSU96]

With such a great recruiter we should be able to recruit over our key players.

No you recruit more guys like Dave W so when three of your top six OL are out for the year after game two you aren’t starting Petry and Bradford the rest of the way, you are sliding in replacement level players. If you can recruit over starters, absolutely, kinda what happened with Wilson and Mang this year.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Like it or hate it ... this is the type of hire Syracuse would make. We aren't going to attract a big name so take a chance and save some money I suppose.

Could turn out to be brilliant or terrible. Not sure there's middle ground.

A recruiter DB coach is the "type of hire" we would make ??? No, historically, I would have said our hires have been MAC trained head coaches or coordinators at a P5 school. Those have been our usual candidates, not position coaches.

 

[Entropic]

Ok what’s a milk toast?

Soak the bread in milk and eat with spoon. Very popular in the south when snow is forecasted. Can't find milk or bread anywhere.

 

[PhatOrange]

What genius coordinators are going to want to work for a guy with no experience?

ELIJAH ROBINSON is one possibility

 

[tep624]

Everyone just loves the new names. If it was Brown who was the top choice before Mullen and now chesney’s name was emerging I bet the reaction would be flipped. Total recency bias reaction and people taking the Mullen frustration out on chesney

Not true at all. Chesney’s weaknesses as a candidate don’t change just because Mullen is out of the picture.

And to be clear, I’m not crapping on Chesney. He’s a fine FCS coach and he’s a safe coach for this selection that would likely have mild success here. But he doesn’t excite me. At all.

 

[Cusefan69]

What genius coordinators are going to want to work for a guy with no experience?

Football coaching is very often about relationships. My guess would be along the way he made some. Do you think ADJW would not ask him about who he thinks he would target and feel confident bringing in? Should we wait to see who he brings in first before complaining he won’t be able to bring anyone in?

 

[tep624]

Ok what’s a milk toast?

It’s another saying for meek. Aka lame.

 

[Zepharus]

Come on everyone, we're so close! We're just a QB, Several offensive and defensive linemen, DBs, WRs and an entire coaching staff away from being good again.

Fran can just grab a couple sleepers...

 

[AZOrange]

That's exactly what he said.

Go to the 20:30 mark of the presser. He clearly left room…

 

[sdhall01]

I hear you. Believe me I wanted Mullen and wouldn’t have considered any of these other guys if he was on the board.

We’re at the point of making the best of bad decisions. I don’t like it but it’s where we are. Brown has the lowest floor but also the highest ceiling so that’s where I’m going.

And look, I'm not trying to be a grouch or a jerk. This is just . . . not what I expected.

 

[sdhall01]

Come on everyone, we're so close! We're just a QB, Several offensive and defensive linemen, DBs, WRs and an entire coaching staff away from being good again.

And rule changes! Don't forget the rule changes we'll need!

 

[tep624]

And look, I'm not trying to be a grouch or a jerk. This is just . . . not what I expected.

Wasn’t what I expected either lol!

 

[sdhall01]

Wasn’t what I expected either lol!

I am trying--failing, but trying--to say nothing where I have nothing particularly nice to say. Hopefully recruiting at Georgia translates to recruiting at Syracuse. sigh.

 

[Libero2]

We aren't getting Top half (let alone 5) of the ACC classes without results on the field. So we need Brown to go 9-4 with bottom half of the ACC recruiting the next 3 years so we can then start to get those Top 5 classes you mention.

I outlined a scenario where both guys strengths and weaknesses became apparent. You can argue about the feasibility of that scenario all you want, but if both came to pass as I described, I’m arguing Brown is better for us. Now if Brown can’t deliver a big recruiting uptick, and fails on the coaching side, then he is going down as a failed hire quickly.

same could be said about Chesney as well, if his supposed strengths (gameday coaching and program management) turn out to be weaknesses at the P5 level, then he’s going to be a failure of epic proportions as well.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Stop it. Just stop it.

The dude has been with Kirby at Georgia.

We don't have anybody that has had that kind of proximity to what the pinnacle of success is in college football today.

He knows what running a P5 program looks like.

(1) This is only his second season at Georgia. A "cup of coffee" you called Dino's 2 years as head coach at 2 different MAC schools.

(2) He knows NOTHING about "running a program" - period. How often is the DB coach calling plays, managing the end of the game, talking to the press after a tough loss?

As for that "pinnacle of success" stuff - Greg Robinson had just coached a defense to a national championship, and had Super Bowl rings from his time in Denver. How did that work out?

This is a terrible stretch of a hire and you know it. You're just deluding yourself.