Fran Brown names Joe Filardi starter, talks bye-week adjustments at presser
At his weekly press conference Monday, Syracuse head coach Fran Brown named walk-on Joe Filardi his starting quarterback versus Notre Dame over Rickie Collins and Luke Carney. Aaron Hammer | Staff Photographer
Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our sports newsletter here.
Last month, Fran Brown got a call from Bruce Lee, his former teammate at Western Carolina. At the time, Brown was fretting about fixing Syracuse’s problems by himself. Amid a turbulent second season with SU, Brown was looking for answers.
Lee — whom Brown mentioned he’s very close with — said he knew how Brown felt during Syracuse’s losing streak. The conversation ended with Lee recommending Brown listen to a specific gospel church song. After playing it, Brown got down on his hands and knees and started to pray. The head coach leans heavily on his faith, and in that moment, he knew what he needed to do to solve the Orange’s problems.
Despite Brown’s best efforts, SU hasn’t gotten back on track. The Orange have lost six straight games and aren’t bowl eligible for the first time since 2021. Still, Brown is confident in his group as they prepare to face Notre Dame in their penultimate regular season game.
“I’m very thankful for all the opportunities and everything I got to go through,” Brown said Monday. “And I can’t stand losing like I hate losing, but sometimes you gotta lose to be able to move ahead.”
Here are some takeaways from Fran Brown’s press conference before Syracuse’s (3-7, 1-6 Atlantic Coast) penultimate game against No. 9 Notre Dame (7-2, Independent)
Quarterback situation
Brown announced walk-on Joe Filardi will start in South Bend. It’ll be Filardi’s second start of the season after he surprisingly was named the signal-caller against North Carolina on Oct. 31. Filardi’s start continues Syracuse’s quarterback carousel this season.
Steve Angeli was a steady presence during SU’s first four games. He led the country in passing yards before tearing his Achilles against Clemson. With Angeli, there’s no telling where the Orange could’ve ended up. Instead, they’ve been one of the worst Power Four teams in the country since.
Rickie Collins underperformed when he replaced Angeli, tossing 10 interceptions in five starts. Freshman Luke Carney got some run against Pittsburgh, before Brown fully switched to Filardi two weeks later. Filardi struggled in his lone start, going 4-for-18 with 39 yards, while Syracuse was held without an offensive touchdown. Still, Brown believes in him, subbing him in for Collins against Miami, where he went 3-for-3 in garbage time.
“Joe should go in because of being able to go down and put some points on the board. (It was) the first time we had a touchdown in some weeks (against Miami). It sucks saying that, but I feel like Joe.”
Carney remains in the picture, but the situation is complicated since Brown wants him to redshirt. Carney has appeared in three games, meaning one more would burn his redshirt eligibility. Brown said he could play this week or in SU’s regular-season finale against Boston College, but he hasn’t decided.
Outside of this week, Brown didn’t commit to anyone for the rest of the season. As for next year, Brown is looking forward to Angeli’s return. He said SU will have the best quarterback in the country next season with him under center.
Attacking the bye week
No coach likes to lose, especially Brown. After every defeat, it’s clear the thought of victory eats away at him. The Orange have lost a lot this season, enduring their worst losing streak since 2020. Brown used the opportunity to do an activity with the coaching staff to “figure out everyone’s perspective.”
Brown didn’t detail the specifics, mentioning it was “personal.” He did reveal that the general theme was about continuing to have fun, being yourself and trusting your gut.
“I wanted to figure out just everybody’s thoughts on who we are and what we’re about and where we are right now, and think of some ways you can make changes,” Brown said. “Because everybody has an opinion. So being able to get everyone’s opinion and see what those opinions are, I was able to take them and look at them, and some things I was able to use, some I didn’t use.”
Before playing Miami, Brown ushered in coaching changes. Wide receivers coach Myles White departed, with offensive assistant Josh Gattis taking over. Nunzio Campanile went from coaching quarterbacks to tight ends with Michael Johnson Sr. replacing him. When asked how he’d assess offensive coordinator Jeff Nixon and defensive coordinator Elijah Robinson, Brown said both will return next season.
Player wise, Brown used the bye week to give more experienced players time off. He focused on their recovery, making sure they were taking ice baths, sitting in cold tubs and getting certain treatment.
“A lot of those guys got thousands of snaps, so we wanted to give them an opportunity (to rest),” Brown said. “Then at the end of every day, we were able to walk through some stuff with them. So in that way, they’re ready for the game plan when it’s time to go out and compete against Notre Dame. I took advantage of the off week.”
Brown used practice to get younger players involved. With Syracuse ineligible for a bowl game, it won’t have an extra week of practice. Instead he used last week as a way to keep freshmen up to speed. The second-year head coach pointed out SU had 20 freshmen — 17 of which were true freshmen — get meaningful snaps against Miami. With the Orange’s season awash, those can be meaningful snaps in what’s been a “down year,” according to Brown.
Slowing down Notre Dame
Brown has plenty of respect for Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman. The 39-year old has got “Notre Dame back to where it should be,” per Brown. The Fighting Irish are one of the hottest teams in the country, winning eight straight games after dropping their first two. They look primed for a second straight College Football Playoff appearance under Freeman.
The catalyst for Notre Dame is running back Jeremiyah Love, who Brown lauded. Brown described the Heisman hopeful as a “gazelle,” adding that he “goes zero to 60 really fast,” while his north to south running style makes him difficult to defend. Love has the fourth-most rushing yards in the country (1,135) and is coming off a brilliant 147-yard performance against No. 22 Pittsburgh’s elite rushing defense.
Syracuse’s defense has been leaky this season, which Brown acknowledged, explaining it’s “been up-and-down.” The Orange will also have to deal with quarterback CJ Carr, who Brown said doesn’t get pressured at all, while playing calm and cool. On defense, Brown feels defensive end Boubacar Traore — who’s recorded 6.5 sacks this season — is one of the best players in college football.
The key for Syracuse against Notre Dame will be getting stops. Containing Love’s big play ability is paramount, with Brown emphasizing that SU needs to tackle in space to keep ND bottled up.
“I think this is a good test for us to be able to go out and play them, and then we get a chance to play next year, too,” Brown said. “It’s pretty cool for us to be able to do it. It’s something that we’ll be able to talk about the rest of our lives.”
