Syracuse hires Georgia defensive backs coach Fran Brown as 31st head coach

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Syracuse has hired Georgia defensive backs coach Fran Brown as its 31st head coach in program history, according to Syracuse Athletics.

“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 the release. “Syracuse Football has outstanding talent, great facilities and passionate alumni. 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.”

Brown replaces Dino Babers, who was fired last week following a 31-22 loss to Georgia Tech. Brown, 41, is a native of Camden, New Jersey, and has been with the national championship-winning Bulldogs since last year.

Brown graduated from Camden (N.J.) High School, where he set the school record as a quarterback with 47 passing touchdowns. He then switched to cornerback when he played at Western Carolina from 2003-06. Brown was an All-Southern Conference selection and spent parts of the 2007 and 2008 seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals.

After spending the 2010 season as the defensive backs coach at St. Paul VI (V.A.) Catholic High School, Brown became the Director of Internal Operations under former Temple head coach Steve Addazio. Prior to the start of the 2012 season, he switched to a graduate assistant role working with the defense.

When Matt Rhule took over as head coach for Temple in 2012, Brown was hired as the defensive backs coach, a position he held for two seasons. In that role, he coached five defensive backs who would eventually see time in the NFL, including three draft picks. At the end of the season, Brown was then named the top recruiter of the American Athletic Conference by Rivals.com.

He was then promoted to the associate head coach of the Owls in 2016, while also serving as the defensive backs coach, helping Rhule turn around a 2-10 team in 2013 to a 10-3 team in his final season. Brown followed Rhule to Baylor when he was hired as the head coach and served as the associate head coach and defensive backs coach for two seasons. In his two seasons at Baylor, the Bears went from 1-11 to 7-6.

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

Brown then interviewed for the Temple head coaching position that eventually went to Manny Diaz. He stayed and served as the associate head coach, co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach. After leading the defense to become nationally ranked in red zone defense, sacks, defensive touchdowns, tackles-for-loss and fumbles recovered, Brown was hired as the defensive backs coach at Rutgers. Syracuse defensive back Alijah Clark was among one of the many recruits he brought in during his two seasons with the Scarlet Knights.

He was then hired as the defensive backs coach at Georgia and helped the team win the national championship in 2023. The Bulldogs’ defense finished the season first in rushing defense, fifth in scoring defense, second in red zone defense and ninth in total defense. After the season, he was named the top recruiter of the 2024 cycle.