Fran Brown would be a strong choice if this comes to fruition. He would be Syracuse’s best recruiter at head coach EVER, at least in my lifetime. Recruiting is his lifeblood, and he has done it well at Rutgers, Baylor, and Temple, not exactly the Easiest places to recruit at.
He is a key reason why Rutgers is going bowling this year. We also went bowling in ‘21, but that was because Texas A&M backed out due to Covid. Nevertheless, Going bowling two out of Schiano’s first four years is a huge accomplishment, especially considering we hadn’t gone bowling since ‘14. And Chris Ash ran the program right into the ground, and we had very little talent. Thanks in large part to Fran, that talent base was replenished quickly. That’s why Georgia hired him. He work’s exceptionally hard to bring in talent.
Browns signature recruits at Rutgers were Max Melton, Tyreem Powell, and Robert Longerbeam. All three starters, and future NFLers and Powell was playing at an All American level before his season was cut short due to injury. While at Rutgers, Fran Brown excelled at recruiting the 3 star recruit with 5 star impact. This is the skillset that will be especially relevant to Syracuse. I would expect him him to focus his recruiting in South Jersey, North Jersey, Philadelphia, DC, and VA.
The million dollar question is how well can he coach. The jury will be out on that question. I can tell you he has the attributes to be a successful head coach. When you meet him and shake his hand, I couldn’t help but think that he will be going places and doing big things. I can’t really explain it, but to me he has an aura and a presence about him.
He’s been working his entire career for this opportunity, and will make the most of it, imo.
I think this hire is similar to Oregon hiring Mario Cristobal, who also had not had coordinator experience, but was a huge success, which is why he was subsequently hired by Miami. Surround Brown with strong coordinators and strong assistants and y’all will be set.
Nothing but love for Fran Brown.
