Fran Brown’s appointment has been nothing short of exceptional for Syracuse Orange football, and his A-graded rookie season has set a benchmark for the future.
Fran Brown’s ‘A’ Grade a Sign of More to Come for Syracuse
The rookie head coach took over the top job at Syracuse in November 2023, following a spell with the Georgia Bulldogs as part of the defensive staff. His ties to South Jersey were one of the reasons why Syracuse brought him in and Brown revolutionized the football program in 2024.
An overall record of 10-3 was their best since 2018, and under the rookie head coach, that is seriously impressive. Off the field was just as great with him utilizing the transfer portal to bring in former quarterback Kyle McCord after a tough time as an Ohio State Buckeye.
In their ACC games they also had put up their best performance since 2018 by going 5-3, with two of those losses being by one score to Stanford and Boston College. Their 42-38 victory over the sixth-ranked Miami Hurricanes in their final regular-season game was perhaps the highlight of their remarkable season.
Offensively, they flourished, flying up 59 spots in the offensive unit rankings compared to that of their 2023 season. Defensively, they dipped slightly, but there is no doubt that Brown is the right coach in charge and is setting them up for future success.
McCord had an excellent bounce-back season in familiar surroundings, throwing for 4779 yards and 34 touchdowns with just 12 interceptions. He was alongside running back LeQuint Allen, who rushed for over 1,000 yards for the second straight season, scoring 16 rushing and four receiving TDs.
Wide receiver Jackson Meeks went for 1021 yards, with his running mate Trebor Pena adding 941 of his own, and 6-foot-5 tight end Oronde Gadsden II also notching 934 yards.
It is a big offseason for Brown and his recruiting department. Syracuse is known for being a popular destination for transfer portal players, and McCord is expected to be drafted into the NFL this spring. He is the 189th-ranked player on College Sports Network’s Top 300 Big Board and is the third-highest-ranked Orange prospect behind Gadsden (No. 100) and EDGE Fadil Diggs (No. 172).
KEEP READING: Fran Brown Raids Georgia Staff Again
It will be difficult for Brown to outdo his rookie season, but he has shown that he can deliver results with a new quarterback and in his new role. Next up for Syracuse will be trying to build on that 10-3 record and be a problem for ACC teams once again.
If they do continue improving and a winning culture really develops under Brown, then they might suddenly become a landing spot for highly ranked high school prospects and that could really be the start of something special for the Orange.
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