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When Fran Brown was born in 1982, Bill Belichick was already with his fourth NFL team. Belichick’s first Super Bowl victory as a head coach came in 2002. Brown was chasing his NFL dreams as a cornerback at Hudson Valley Community College.

The age gap is 30 years. The coaching accomplishments include 335 wins for Belichick and 13 for Brown. Yet, when Belichick and North Carolina take on Brown and Syracuse on Friday, both are in the same boat.

The Orange and the Tar Heels rank in the bottom tier of the Atlantic Coast Conference this season, combining for a 1-7 conference record. The two squads each enter on four-game losing streaks, making the matchup practically a must-win for Bowl contention.

Here are some takeaways from Brown’s weekly press conference before Syracuse’s Halloween night affair versus North Carolina:

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SU’s 3-5 record indicates that its season of horror is two-thirds done. The second third was vastly different than the first, resulting in a 3-1 season falling off the deep end. The Orange are 0-4 under Rickie Collins following Steve Angeli’s season-ending injury.

Brown knocked on the wooden podium in front of him when discussing Angeli’s recovery. He indicated Angeli would have to continue competing once he returns from injury in 2026, but Angeli showed he could “play ball.” When asked by The Daily Orange about Angeli’s current state, a month removed from Achilles surgery, Brown revealed he speaks with his quarterback every day. Angeli sits in the back of team meetings and puts in his “two cents.” Brown keeps it light with Angeli.

“I call him once in a while and cuss him out,” Brown joked with a grin. “I just be like ‘You messed my season up.’ And that’s to mess with him and say ‘Nah, just keep pushing.’”

Brown said Collins is learning how to deal with adversity through his four-game stretch, where he’s thrown four touchdowns to seven interceptions. He admitted Collins has a long way to go to reach Angeli’s level and hinted at some possible experimentation in SU’s final four games.

“We’re going to compete, though, when it comes to quarterback right now,” Brown said.

Syracuse’s downward trend has partially been a result of losing momentum. The Orange started the first half against Georgia Tech hot before a stalled goal-line opportunity. SU scored on the second play of the second half but immediately allowed the Yellow Jackets to answer. Brown took the fall for the trend, saying if he keeps growing as a head coach, everything else will work out. He assessed the Orange as improving their first-quarter defense and the special teams unit gaining more consistency. He understands this has been a down year. He’s not afraid to take the heat.

“That’s why they made me the head coach, that’s why the city accepted me with open arms of being a part of the community, being around here,” Brown said. “I just really apologize for the way we played and we came out and competed and haven’t been able to win for a month straight.”

Belichick and the Tar Heels

The adjustment to facing UNC is largely due to the game being on Friday. The short week forced the Orange to rush back from Atlanta and start their practice week on Sunday rather than Monday. Still, there’s plenty of work to do to get ready for the eight-time Super Bowl champion across the field.

Brown said he hasn’t crossed paths directly with Belichick, but they know each other, likely through ACC coaches meetings. He’s happy he gets to compete against the future Hall of Famer. If you viewed the Tar Heels on paper, however, you wouldn’t believe who they’re led by.

North Carolina enters the Week 10 matchup without a win over a Power Four opponent. UNC has scored just 18.3 points per game under offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens, the former Cleveland Browns head coach. Its only wins came against Charlotte and Richmond. But Brown sees the Tar Heels turning a corner after they lost their last two games by a combined four points.

“You can see they’re starting to implement the Bill Belichick brand of football in how they’re playing,” Brown said.

Brown said he got to meet UNC defensive coordinator Stephen Belichick, Belichick’s son, while working at Rutgers. Stephen is a Scarlet Knight alum, having played both lacrosse and football there. Belichick will be the second former NFL head coach Brown and the Orange face in 2025, joining UConn’s Jim Mora before the season finale versus Bill O’Brien and Boston College.

Finishing strong

It’s apparent to all that Syracuse will not reach Brown’s lofty expectations of a national title in 2025. He’s still building for the future.

True freshman Demetres Samuel Jr. will be a focal point of Brown’s tenure moving forward, already starting at cornerback at just 17 years old. Brown wants to get Samuel more involved offensively over the final four games. He will also start on punt return against UNC, an indication that Davien Kerr could miss the game after taking a big hit versus GT.

While already bolstering next year’s roster, the Orange could retain some experience. Fifth-year linebacker Derek McDonald underwent hip surgery and will try to get a medical redshirt. With McDonald out and Gary Bryant III missing the second half against the Yellow Jackets, SU’s linebackers featured true freshman starter Antoine Deslauriers, with the addition of Zyian Moultrie-Goddard and Anwar Sparrow.

“The young guys got to grow up. They’re all playing now. They’re constantly in the game. This week, you’ll see a few more young guys in the game than before, and they’ll keep playing, especially now we’re getting toward that end of the year where you’ve got older guys that are banged up,” Brown said. “But then you also have freshmen that are about to hit their fourth games or at it, and now they’ll be able to play the rest of the way through for the four-game mark, so I can already have them not being nervous next year.”

Brown said he had a big meeting Sunday with the freshmen and some sophomores about wanting to compete and finish the season for the upperclassmen. He wants the seniors to be seen as a class that pushed the culture over the top, showing how to face adversity en route to a national championship.

“I want them to leave with a bang. I want them to go out the right way,” Brown said. “They put a lot into it. We all care about them when we love them, so let’s make sure that we go out and do it, and everyone’s responsible for that.”

Published on October 27, 2025 at 7:14 pm
Contact Aiden at: amstepan@syr.edu | @AidenStepansky