Fran Brown is off to a great start in his first year at Syracuse. He’s managed to rack up a 10-win season—the first time that’s happened since 2018—and he’s doing a solid job with recruiting, even with all the craziness around NIL. Brown is taking full advantage of this early momentum and is focused on building an even better roster for next year. His leadership and vision are really starting to shape the program into something special. The team is drawing more and more attention from top talents across the country, landing 17 transfers for the class of 2025. Their rise has been impressive and a bit hard to define, but Brown’s got a big role to play this year. It’s similar to what Deion Sanders has been doing in Boulder, and now it’s Brown’s turn to shine.
The head coach has lately been all over the news because he pulled a master plan to host a combined spring practice with Colorado, potentially triggering a massive change in the typical NCAA structure. Although they couldn’t get the idea passed for this year, they didn’t give up. Brown has been in awe of Deion’s coaching superiority and the deep knowledge and understanding of the game. But now, he has just signed up to learn silently how Coach Prime has simultaneously managed his dual role (coach and father) on and off the field.
Brown’s son (Fran Brown Jr.) has graced the roster as the newly minted Orange linebacker this season. The former St. Francis athlete plans to compete for the role of a long snapper as well. As spring revealed the first glimpse of Brown Jr. standing firm and contributing to the Orange’s tests and trials, the 42-year-old couldn’t be prouder. “He works his bu-t off, but with Franny, I mean, it’s just a blessing to be able to work with him,” the head coach poured his heart out in a conversation with Mark Packer and Taylor Tannebaum at ACC Meetings.
But the moment didn’t come in handy to Brown. He had to undergo quite a bittersweet ride to get his son under his mentorship in the Orange team. While it certainly sounds like quite a win, Brown always advocates for his son to carve out his own path in life. In other words, he didn’t want to invite the nepotism narrative at all. But when his eldest born took that step, a dad’s instinct was caught off guard.
“I wanted him to go find his own way college-wise, go do his own thing. I was in Georgia during his senior year. He came to me and said, “Dad, I don’t want to stay in Georgia.’ I want to go back to Jersey with my friends; I don’t want to be here.’ That was so hard, I mean, I literally cried.” Brown articulated the pain of choosing between what feels good and what feels right at one crucial point in his life: “When my son wanted to go live in New Jersey, we were in Georgia.”
Fran Brown Jr., 5 ft 11 and 210 lbs, turned heads at his position group last year. He boasted 33 tackles in seven games for St. Francis as a freshman. But again, the physical and psychological challenges blocked his path a lot. “That was tough for us as a family, but he did it. Got injured in his senior year, so imagine getting injured six games out, I mean into the season,” Dad Brown continued, “so, it was just a lot that I had to deal with just helping him stay focused and him helping me stay focused.”
Brown Jr. finished as a leader at the top of his game last season. But then he suddenly got a jolt in his mind. The young man decided to reunite with his family by enrolling in Syracuse. Despite an initial hiccup in mind, Brown feels happy about it now and chalks out his role quite well. “Because when I’m talking to all the players, everything I’m saying, I’ve always, you know, I felt it’s with my heart. But I get to raise my son now.” The coach phenom stepped into the second year of his Syracuse tenure with a unique goal. “So, I get to do it with my son the same way I get to do it with all the players and go through it.”
Coach Brown isn’t just bringing a football legacy out of Syracuse. He is assimilating his family to that goal. What can be more wholesome for a man who sticks by two F’s in life: football and family!
Fran Brown is also developing his other son to become a Syracuse breakout one day
The South New Jersey native navigated through the ups and downs in his journey. Be it several coaching mishaps and a slew of embarrassing losses, hometown Camden didn’t bring any good for Brown. However, his Syracuse decision proved to be a silver lining and a brewing promise for a future legacy. He broke the curse of mediocrity and took the team to a historic 10-3 run. However, the new Orange coach doesn’t know how to settle. He believes that with the solid first-year roster, they could easily go for the prize.
The ceiling is higher for year 2. The Orange needs a strong mind map to fill out the gap. But amidst all this stress and plans, it is Brown’s 12-year-old son, Brayden, who keeps him charged. Brayden’s pee-wee football and the early signs of a class athlete are the favorite subjects to rave about for Brown. The kid is already showcasing his ability in every position. Pop Brown jokingly claims that versatility can lead to Brayden’s Syracuse commitment one day.
“They raise my son, too,” Brown said of his players and the inclusive culture he gets to taste at Syracuse. “That’s how you know you have a good team. When I bring my son around, I don’t blink an eye, I know they’re gonna take care of him. They’re doing the right thing, showing him how to be a little man.” Nonetheless, for now, all eyes are on Fran Brown Jr., rolling on his debut season in the Salt City.
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