Fran's Game 6 Press Conference | SMU

[qdawgg]

How does one become no longer a walk on? Asking for a friend.

Significant donations on the pay side, above and beyond the monthly charges.

 

[qdawgg]

If he decides to move on so be it

I'm highlighting this and I realize it's really the point of your whole post. For me though; the uptick in recruiting, media coverage and potential recruits/portal players that isn't "pie in the sky" hopes. If we lost Fran, I don't know that we can find a coach to come close to that. CFB is an arms race and not that it hadn't been for the last couple of decades. I know this is extremely pessimistic. I was ready to stop following the team had hiring Fran not panned out to seemingly being a decent coach (at least) and actually being able to recruit here. I don't know who we replace a unicorn in so many ways that Fran is, with someone else and continue to have some optimism.

So if or when Fran leaves, I'll obviously give a new coaching staff time and again, I realize this is really pessimistic but I don't know how we continue to have success without the recruiting ability this staff has. I fully expect to stop following SU at some point because these last, almost 3 decades have been pretty painful most years. I'm also a Bears fan so that doesn't help my weekends given that football on Saturdays and Sundays has historically been a crappy experience.

 

[cuseguy]

I have to say all this media talk about Fran leaving for an SEC job as soon as December is stupid. I believe in him, and the SU should do their all to keep him. If he decides to move on so be it, but I think he is genuine when he said he wants to coach in the Northeast. I would be more worried if PSU came calling, but if we support him, we are on the right track. Losing or QB sucked and last weeks game was disappointing, but I think hitting the road is probably a good thing, I think they bounce back with a much better performance.

He’s not going anywhere. Unless we turn around and win 7/8 games, he’s no longer a hot commodity.

 

[Domedog84]

Fran is as raw in the interview room as he is as a coach. Think of him as a slightly more experienced Ricke Collins. A lot more to learn in terms of coaching and handling the media. It’ll take time.

In terms of being unseasoned with the media I could not agree more that Fran has tons of room to grow and will in time. I just felt like you were absolving Javon of any of the responsibility. If he asks a question that does not get an answer that he can use for his reporting, is that Fran's fault? There has to be some adjustments on Javon's side as well. He is the one that needs to sell content.

 

[sufan59]

I'm highlighting this and I realize it's really the point of your whole post. For me though; the uptick in recruiting, media coverage and potential recruits/portal players that isn't "pie in the sky" hopes. If we lost Fran, I don't know that we can find a coach to come close to that. CFB is an arms race and not that it hadn't been for the last couple of decades. I know this is extremely pessimistic. I was ready to stop following the team had hiring Fran not panned out to seemingly being a decent coach (at least) and actually being able to recruit here. I don't know who we replace a unicorn in so many ways that Fran is, with someone else and continue to have some optimism.

So if or when Fran leaves, I'll obviously give a new coaching staff time and again, I realize this is really pessimistic but I don't know how we continue to have success without the recruiting ability this staff has. I fully expect to stop following SU at some point because these last, almost 3 decades have been pretty painful most years. I'm also a Bears fan so that doesn't help my weekends given that football on Saturdays and Sundays has historically been a crappy experience.

One thing that I do think gets overlooked. Dino had us bowling and on a path of being middle of the road the last two seasons. Had pretty decent coordinators especially at the end. I’m assuming we hired Fran Brown because we saw a trajectory of him elevating the program to even higher heights as a fresh new coach. Why would we even hire Fran Brown and not someone that could sustain the brand of 7-5, 6-6, and the occasional 9-3. If by the time Fran gets us to the next level, we didn’t have the finances to keep him? Like my point is, I love Fran, but why would we even hire him, if we weren’t serious about being a top program in College Football long term. It’s like buying a huge house that you can’t afford to maintain and furnish. It’s clear they took a chance on Fran because they saw he had big time potential and we wanted in early.

 

[cuseguy]

In terms of being unseasoned with the media I could not agree more that Fran has tons of room to grow and will in time. I just felt like you were absolving Javon of any of the responsibility. If he asks a question that does not get an answer that he can use for his reporting, is that Fran's fault? There has to be some adjustments on Javon's side as well. He is the one that needs to sell content.

Fran doesn’t like a lot of Javon’s questions because they force him to address issues he doesn’t want to answer with any directness. Most of the other questions are softball tosses that are easy to answer. Fran will learn. Like I said, it’s only his second year of being the voice of the program.

 

[qdawgg]

One thing that I do think gets overlooked. Dino had us bowling and on a path of being middle of the road the last two seasons. Had pretty decent coordinators especially at the end. I’m assuming we hired Fran Brown because we saw a trajectory of him elevating the program to even higher heights as a fresh new coach. Why would we even hire Fran Brown and not someone that could sustain the brand of 7-5, 6-6, and the occasional 9-3. If by the time Fran gets us to the next level, we didn’t have the finances to keep him? Like my point is, I love Fran, but why would we even hire him, if we weren’t serious about being a top program in College Football long term.

I don't disagree with this at all. I think Fran just happens to be the perfect blend of a good coach who can get even better, has a lot of connections to continue to hire good coordinators/staff and most importantly he can recruit. My fear is, we lose him and our ability to recruit at a high level drops significantly.

I will say this though, reading what you wrote and then responding. It's made me think about something I hadn't when I wrote that. With the portal, a staff that isn't as good at recruiting can still get players here if we have the $. So in that sense, maybe we'd still be okay.

 

[FrancoPizza]

Fran needs to part ways with ERob. Somehow. Just get it effin done already. Can’t have an inexperienced head coach and an unproven, clueless DC and expect to be successful just on recruiting chops.

 

[RedtheGOB]

Fran needs to part ways with ERob. Somehow. Just get it effin done already. Can’t have an inexperienced head coach and an unproven, clueless DC and expect to be successful just on recruiting chops.

One thing that is baffling when it comes to the defense is how just developmentally focused we are with that unit especially with the very limited experience on the staff. I'm not going to harp on the the DC playcalling cuz it's been said but I have to question the offseason portal now getting into the meat of the schedule.

I can see going young on the DB side and realistically we have some talent and depth there to play around with. Fran I think knows what he's doing there except the tackling issues. They may be elite next year so not worried there as much.

A True freshman in AD, Gary Bryant who doesn't even have stats listed on ESPN from his prior seasons given it was FCS, Tremble an offensive convert. They've been pretty damn good for the situations they've been put in but where is the veteran leadership and help to tie it all together.

A DL made up of an 8th year guy and whole bunch of RS Srs that look like a patchworked mess from one game to the next. That's really tough on the LB and DB crew that is young and finding their way to hold it together game to game especially with the swings they're seeing.

Just venting that Fran and ERob need to find some studs on defense to lead the team and upgrade the DL and LB room. Guys like Wax, Diggs, and Barron just to hold this ship together are what the D needs.

Maybe that's AD and GBIII becoming bigger leaders next year or some DBs but those guys are still gonna be super young too. Gonna have to hit the portal methinks on the DL/LB and hit it hard.

 

[kingtidge]

If the opposing team has figured out all the signals this is the time to change. One game and then the bye.

I am actually hoping this was a big part of the issue with the defense in the Dook game... It would explain Dook's total domination a little better and is something that should be a relatively easy fix in the big scheme of things...

 

[IthacaBarrel]

I believe this to be true in some fashion, I mean Duke kicked the literal crap out of this team Saturday, we had zero answers in all 3 phases, it was a joke really. Entire program was unprepared in every aspect. As bad a game as I have seen in 20 years. Fran and his staff looked like clowns, incompetent really. I would want to move onto SMU as well. It's not like Duke is a top 10 program, they got manhandled by Tulane a couple weeks ago. ( Tulane is a solid program but still)

Good learning experience for a young head coach one would hope

 

[OmahaCuse]

I believe this to be true in some fashion, I mean Duke kicked the literal crap out of this team Saturday, we had zero answers in all 3 phases, it was a joke really. Entire program was unprepared in every aspect. As bad a game as I have seen in 20 years. Fran and his staff looked like clowns, incompetent really. I would want to move onto SMU as well. It's not like Duke is a top 10 program, they got manhandled by Tulane a couple weeks ago. ( Tulane is a solid program but still)

Good learning experience for a young head coach one would hope

New QB 1st college start, three turnovers one on a bad call (cheap shot)…playing a NFL QB….Everything is not as bad or as good as you think.

 

[IthacaBarrel]

New QB 1st college start, three turnovers one on a bad call (cheap shot)…playing a NFL QB….Everything is not as bad or as good as you think.

It was Duke in the Dome in front of a solid crowd, not Miami or ND on the road. Like I said, one of the worst performances I have seen in 20 years, it was that bad and there have been plenty of them. The Shafer game at Ga Tech type bad.

 

[anomander]

A couple takes:

Love how he said some of the true freshman are starting to get run. Specifically mentioned the 2 Canadians and Gillians. Nissi was playing at Clemson. I was field level and this is a big man. I hate to say it but right now we have an 8th year guy and 3 RsSr or Sr’s just getting cardio sessions in. We have to be towards the bottom of CFB in sacks or TFL’s. I also think David O is better than Reese. Tremble is a big athlete who can make some plays. the DL is not producing. Let’s get the young kids prepared for next season.

People are acting like Rickie is young. He’s in his 3rd year of CFB, meaning he’s an upperclassmen. I know people are used to 8th year super duper seniors at this point after COIVD, but let’s not act like he’s inexperienced. He shared a QB room with Jaydon Daniels. At this point he is what he’s going to be. I don’t see any touch on his passes. Everything is throw em the heater Rickie!! Fran sounded locked in on Rickie during the interview, which I understand, but he has to be willing to give Luke a shot if we see another poor performance. I just can’t stand running the same guys out if they don’t produce. How much worse can it get and you never know how people perform in games. Playing sports through college, I fully believe in guys who rise to the occasion in games and aren’t practice players.

Finally, I have no problem with how he handled the interview and moving onto next week. He knows he has a young, inexperienced team, that doesn’t sound like it has the leadership coming from within that is needed for a successful season, so he has to lead by example, and show he’s moved on and preparing for SMU. After a beating like that with a new QB, and a defense that couldn’t stop a leaking sink, the team could have really gone to a bad place.

It will be interesting to see how he handles things if they don’t improve. I trust he will make the right decisions to move on from people who aren’t producing, but we haven’t had to see that yet.

Finally, we’ve seen big Byron move grown men. He has looked great when he has played. I’m not sure if it’s conditioning that’s holding him back, but I think it’s time to unleash him. Interesting to see that he’s now backing up Ferguson at OG, who I personally thought has been our best interior lineman. I don’t have the film he has access to, but before he was backing up Cruz and getting on the field more. Not sure why the change there, but I’d like to see Ferguson and Byron on the field together and use some ground and pound with Willis to try and take some pressure off.

 

[Archbold44]

A couple takes:

Love how he said some of the true freshman are starting to get run. Specifically mentioned the 2 Canadians and Gillians. Nissi was playing at Clemson. I was field level and this is a big man. I hate to say it but right now we have an 8th year guy and 3 RsSr or Sr’s just getting cardio sessions in. We have to be towards the bottom of CFB in sacks or TFL’s. I also think David O is better than Reese. Tremble is a big athlete who can make some plays. the DL is not producing. Let’s get the young kids prepared for next season.

People are acting like Rickie is young. He’s in his 3rd year of CFB, meaning he’s an upperclassmen. I know people are used to 8th year super duper seniors at this point after COIVD, but let’s not act like he’s inexperienced. He shared a QB room with Jaydon Daniels. At this point he is what he’s going to be. I don’t see any touch on his passes. Everything is throw em the heater Rickie!! Fran sounded locked in on Rickie during the interview, which I understand, but he has to be willing to give Luke a shot if we see another poor performance. I just can’t stand running the same guys out if they don’t produce. How much worse can it get and you never know how people perform in games. Playing sports through college, I fully believe in guys who rise to the occasion in games and aren’t practice players.

Finally, I have no problem with how he handled the interview and moving onto next week. He knows he has a young, inexperienced team, that doesn’t sound like it has the leadership coming from the team that is needed for successful teams, so he has to lead by example, and show he’s moved on and we’re preparing for SMU. After a beating like that with a new QB, and a defense that couldn’t stop a leaking sink, the team could have really gone to a bad place.

It will be interesting to see how he handles things if they don’t improve. I trust he will make the right decisions to move on from people who aren’t producing, but we haven’t had to see that yet.

Finally, we’ve seen big Byron move grown men. He has looked great when he has played. I’m not sure if it’s conditioning that’s holding him back, but I think it’s time to unleash him. Interesting to see that he’s now backing up Ferguson at OG, who I personally thought has been our best interior lineman. I don’t have the film he has access to, but before he was backing up Cruz and getting on the field more. Not sure why the change there, but I’d like to see Ferguson and Byron on the field together and use some ground and pound with Willis to try and take some pressure off.

Do we use Byron inside the 5? I mean... running Willis behind him has to be tempting, right? If he is not capable of lasting a long time... 3-4 plays from the 5 yard line seem pretty doable.

Heck, put him at TE and run behind him off tackle. And, imagine a line with our normal 5, Villari on the left and him on the right. Willis as sole back. 2 WRs. Line up under center and have all of those 7 guys push forward. Or play action. But I detest shotgun from inside the 5 also, so what do I know.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

Do we use Byron inside the 5? I mean... running Willis behind him has to be tempting, right? If he is not capable of lasting a long time... 3-4 plays from the 5 yard line seem pretty doable.

Heck, put him at TE and run behind him off tackle. And, imagine a line with our normal 5, Villari on the left and him on the right. Willis as sole back. 2 WRs. Line up under center and have all of those 7 guys push forward. Or play action. But I detest shotgun from inside the 5 also, so what do I know.

He was in against Clemson on Nixon's 9 yard TD run.

 

[Cuse4455]

I'd love to see Byron at RG and move Cruz to RT. Witherspoon has been horrendous.

 

[Cuse On 3]

I'd love to see Byron at RG and move Cruz to RT. Witherspoon has been horrendous.

Not a bad idea. I think Byron isn’t ready to start just yet but has been serviceable when he has come in. Certainly looks the part

 

[SUDadx2]

What’s the obsession with Kevin Coyle? Don’t analysts come and go relatively frequently in CFB?

I remember Nick Saban used to always have a bunch on staff as a filler year between actual coaching jobs. I get it’s mid-season, but with the amount of turnover this year already in september Across the country, I don’t find this weird.

First, the attendees at these weekly press conferences are not the world's best journalists, thus I don't expect them to ask too many prying questions.

Kevin Coyle was an underappreciated hire; a four-time D1 DC (Syracuse, Maryland, and Fresno State 2x) with 16 years of NFL experience. Fran Bown knew Coach Coyle from when they were both with the Cincinnati Bengals (2007-08). Apparently, Coyle is the one who cut Fran Brown.

The question I would like someone to ask is what did we lose when Coach Coyle left for UCLA? Word is Coyle was very involved in putting together the game plan for Clemson. I don't think anyone will disagree the defense was excellent against Clemson and the defense we saw vs Duke in no way resembled that defense. So, what changed?



Javon: "Without telling us your secrets, what's your game plan to get after the SMU QB?"
Fran: "Sorry for being immature, but how am I supposed to answer this?"

HCFB's comment caught me off guard until I remembered a podcast from last week where he said "I aint no b*tch". His comment in the press conference leads me to believe someone in the athletic department (Maybe Herm Frazier?) called HCFB on the carpet and reminded him he is the face program, and he may want to consider different words in the future. Imagine. Hey parents send you sons here cause I ain't no b*tch.


We all know the landscape in college football has undergone some significant changes in recent years (NIL, revenue sharing, transfer portal etc...) all of which have changed the nature of the college head coaching position. Today coaches have to continue to recruit players who they already recruiting once and are on their rosters. Part is this "recruiting" or hand holding involves playing players who would not have played a few years ago. We are seeing it at Syracuse. In 2025 we signed 6 DBs and only have 5 DB positions, so one young man is realizing he's already playing behind another freshman which will often not make the potential for playing time at SU to seem very bright. The same can be said for the 7 DL.s we signed in a 4 DL system or the 7 OL signed when we only play five at a time or the 6/7 WRs signed.

These are all talented young men who were usually stars in HS and now are faced with not even being among the best freshmen on their college team. These young men are now paid $$ which often bring an inflated sense of entitlement. When a young man's expectations don't match their reality disappointment isn't usually far behind.

I think we may be seeing some of this disappointment affect our team play in a couple of ways. One, disappointed players who lack maturity often pull back from the team cause their individual needs are not being met. Watch the sidelines tell me what you see? If you're not seeing players who aren't in the game rooting on their teammates then we could have a problem. Second, coaches are trying to appease young players by giving them playing time. It starts with giving them some reps then when those reps aren't enough to appease a player some coaches will give a player more reps because they see the players potential and fear losing the player. This isn't just younger players. This can affect older player who you were expecting to be leaders. IMO, this leads to rotating too many players in the game and can negatively affect their perform due to a lack of continuity: players get pulled when they are getting into the flow of the game and they are lined up with different payers which can affect their chemistry.

I think we might become more effective if we streamline our rotations and play who we believe can help us win and stop playing players, so the players see they aren't ready.

Commitment, Care and Trust

Are you committed to the program, to your teammates whether you're playing or not?

Do you care about the program and your teammates, or do you only care about yourself?

Can I trust you to be all-in? Can I trust you to put the needs of the team first or depend on how much you're playing?

This cuts both ways.

Are coaches committed to players and the development of players they didn't recruit as much as the players they did recruit?

Do players who were not recruited by this coaching staff (or aren't from NJ) feel like the coaches care about them as much as they care about the players they did recruit?

Can a player who gives their all and does everything that is asked of them trust the caching staff to have their back or will they be pushed into the portal?


This week should be interesting. Will the team come together and fight and play together or will they show their immaturity and fold. Win or lose I want to see this team play with energy and fight as a team.


Interesting times for sure.

 

[SanDiegoCuse]

First, the attendees at these weekly press conferences are not the world's best journalists, thus I don't expect them to ask too many prying questions.

Kevin Coyle was an underappreciated hire; a four-time D1 DC (Syracuse, Maryland, and Fresno State 2x) with 16 years of NFL experience. Fran Bown knew Coach Coyle from when they were both with the Cincinnati Bengals (2007-08). Apparently, Coyle is the one who cut Fran Brown.

The question I would like someone to ask is what did we lose when Coach Coyle left for UCLA? Word is Coyle was very involved in putting together the game plan for Clemson. I don't think anyone will disagree the defense was excellent against Clemson and the defense we saw vs Duke in no way resembled that defense. So, what changed?



Javon: "Without telling us your secrets, what's your game plan to get after the SMU QB?"
Fran: "Sorry for being immature, but how am I supposed to answer this?"

HCFB's comment caught me off guard until I remembered a podcast from last week where he said "I aint no b*tch". His comment in the press conference leads me to believe someone in the athletic department (Maybe Herm Frazier?) called HCFB on the carpet and reminded him he is the face program, and he may want to consider different words in the future. Imagine. Hey parents send you sons here cause I ain't no b*tch.


We all know the landscape in college football has undergone some significant changes in recent years (NIL, revenue sharing, transfer portal etc...) all of which have changed the nature of the college head coaching position. Today coaches have to continue to recruit players who they already recruiting once and are on their rosters. Part is this "recruiting" or hand holding involves playing players who would not have played a few years ago. We are seeing it at Syracuse. In 2025 we signed 6 DBs and only have 5 DB positions, so one young man is realizing he's already playing behind another freshman which will often not make the potential for playing time at SU to seem very bright. The same can be said for the 7 DL.s we signed in a 4 DL system or the 7 OL signed when we only play five at a time or the 6/7 WRs signed.

These are all talented young men who were usually stars in HS and now are faced with not even being among the best freshmen on their college team. These young men are now paid $$ which often bring an inflated sense of entitlement. When a young man's expectations don't match their reality disappointment isn't usually far behind.

I think we may be seeing some of this disappointment affect our team play in a couple of ways. One, disappointed players who lack maturity often pull back from the team cause their individual needs are not being met. Watch the sidelines tell me what you see? If you're not seeing players who aren't in the game rooting on their teammates then we could have a problem. Second, coaches are trying to appease young players by giving them playing time. It starts with giving them some reps then when those reps aren't enough to appease a player some coaches will give a player more reps because they see the players potential and fear losing the player. This isn't just younger players. This can affect older player who you were expecting to be leaders. IMO, this leads to rotating too many players in the game and can negatively affect their perform due to a lack of continuity: players get pulled when they are getting into the flow of the game and they are lined up with different payers which can affect their chemistry.

I think we might become more effective if we streamline our rotations and play who we believe can help us win and stop playing players, so the players see they aren't ready.

Commitment, Care and Trust

Are you committed to the program, to your teammates whether you're playing or not?

Do you care about the program and your teammates, or do you only care about yourself?

Can I trust you to be all-in? Can I trust you to put the needs of the team first or depend on how much you're playing?

This cuts both ways.

Are coaches committed to players and the development of players they didn't recruit as much as the players they did recruit?

Do players who were not recruited by this coaching staff (or aren't from NJ) feel like the coaches care about them as much as they care about the players they did recruit?

Can a player who gives their all and does everything that is asked of them trust the caching staff to have their back or will they be pushed into the portal?


This week should be interesting. Will the team come together and fight and play together or will they show their immaturity and fold. Win or lose I want to see this team play with energy and fight as a team.


Interesting times for sure.

Excellent post. I always enjoy your insight.