Fran Brown talks Jamie Tremble, O-line at weekly presser
Fran Brown talked about how he looks to improve Syracuse's offensive line after its blowout loss to Tennessee in his weekly press conference on Monday. Charlie Hynes | Contributing Photographer
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Fran Brown pounded his right fist four times against the podium in rapid succession, a reaction possible when the head coach thinks about losing.
Brown has been a part of five losses in his last four seasons of coaching, including his two years as an assistant on a powerhouse Georgia team. He isn’t used to defeat. The same goes for Syracuse quarterback Steve Angeli, who lost his second career game as a starter Saturday against Tennessee, an impressive run dating back to fifth grade.
So Brown could hardly bear to hear his new signal-caller had already doubled his previous loss total through one game at SU. It’s his mission to ensure that’s not a regular occurrence.
“I don’t like losing. I don’t want (Angeli) to be accustomed to losing. He’s not a loser,” Brown said. “He came from a winning high school program, came from a good program last year, and I expect to keep him on the same track.”
He said he spoke to Angeli on Sunday. They had a “good conversation” on how to steer the Orange back in the right direction, Brown said. But, for Brown, the bar is low for how Syracuse can make week-to-week improvements. Rewatching the tape versus the Volunteers said it all.
“The film sucks,” Brown said.
Here’s what Brown had to say Monday at his weekly press conference before Syracuse’s (0-1, Atlantic Coast) home opener against UConn (1-0, Independent) this Saturday:
Two-way Tremble
Sophomore tight end Jamie Tremble unexpectedly played a major role on SU’s defense against Tennessee. He logged 18 snaps at linebacker after not being listed there on the Orange’s pregame depth chart.
On Monday, Brown revealed Tremble is Syracuse’s starting SAM linebacker, meaning he lines up on the strong-side of the defense and typically matches up against opposing tight ends. It was a secret Brown kept hidden.
“It’s been my mindset for a while,” Brown said about Tremble starting as SU’s SAM linebacker. “He’s super talented. I want to make sure he gets on the field, and a couple of different drills that we’ve done showed that he could (play defense), and he has the mental capacity to be able to handle both sides of the playbook.”
Tremble, a four-star tight end recruit from the state of Georgia, elicits promise as an athletic downfield receiving threat. Though with the Orange short on depth in their front seven, and with Dan Villari and David Clement manning the No. 1 and 2 tight-end spots, Tremble has carved out a role as a two-way player.
Brown was compelled to play Tremble on defense after seeing some of his absurd attributes despite his 6-foot-4, 222-pound frame. He said Tremble’s speed has clocked at 22 miles per hour on the GPS, and he can reach 39 inches on his vertical jump.
“I just figured I need that freak athlete on the football field,” Brown said.
Tremble tallied a one-yard reception Saturday versus Tennessee, already making a small but clear impact on offense and defense. Brown expects even more players to do the same.
“You’ll see a couple of other dudes go on both sides of the ball this week,” Brown said.
O-line changes incoming?
Brown felt Syracuse’s offensive line got better as the game progressed against Tennessee. However, the damage was done once the Orange found their footing late.
SU gave up five sacks to the Volunteers, creating trouble for Angeli that led to his subpar 23-of-40 completion rate. Brown called it “unacceptable” for the Orange to allow that much pressure on their quarterback. On Monday, he previewed some potential personnel changes he and offensive coordinator Jeff Nixon have in the works.
Brown said 6-foot-7, 400-pound offensive lineman Byron Washington will see playing time in the trenches moving forward. The highly touted recruit from DeSoto High School in Texas, where he was teammates with SU wide receiver Johntay Cook, is now likely less than 400 pounds. Washington’s plan to cut weight is working well, Brown said.
“He’s dropped some more weight, so Byron should be ready to get in the mix,” Brown said.
Brown also said redshirt sophomore Joshua Miller and Alabama transfer Naquil Betrand will break into Syracuse’s offensive line fold this week.
“There should be three more guys that should be in there playing with them,” Brown said of adding players into SU’s O-line rotation.
No injury updates … yet
Brown offered no injury updates on the vast number of Syracuse players who went down with an injury Saturday, including senior safety Devin Grant and senior linebacker Anwar Sparrow.
He also had no update on wide receiver Emanuel Ross, a redshirt freshman who got injured during fall camp and was poised for a breakout season.
Brown said he’d learn the health status of his players on Monday afternoon when he receives the team’s weekly injury report. For now, he only knows that everybody who’s nursing an injury received treatment Monday morning.
Grant and Sparrow would be major losses for the Orange if their injuries are prolonged. Sparrow is one of the elder statesmen of a young SU linebacking corps that’s finding its way after Marlowe Wax and Justin Barron’s exits to the NFL. As for Grant, he was one of Syracuse’s most consistent secondary players last season, though he’s coming off a torn MCL that he suffered during the 2024 season.
