Syracuse DC Vince Kehres speaks to media for 1st time since December hiring
Syracuse defensive coordinator Vince Kehres spoke to the media for the first time since his December hiring. Leonardo Eriman | Daily Orange File Photo
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Early in November, Vince Kehres was watching his beloved Pittsburgh Steelers when he got a call from Fran Brown. Typically Kehres would be in his office, but the then-Toledo defensive coordinator was enjoying a week-plus gap in between games.
Brown wanted to gauge Kehres’ interest in becoming Syracuse’s next defensive coordinator. The 50-year old was intrigued and described there being “mutual interest” between the two parties.
“The thing about (Brown) is he’s very direct, he’s very genuine, and those are two attributes that I can appreciate,” Kehres said Monday during his first media availability since getting hired on Dec. 6.
After a couple more conservations later following the initial call, Kehres got the job. Now he’s entrusted with turning Syracuse’s defense around this season. The unit was putrid under Elijah Robinson — who was demoted on Dec. 2 before leaving SU for Texas A&M — allowing 34.92 points and 427.7 yards per game, which were the seventh and 11th-worst marks in the country last season. Meanwhile, Kehres’ defense allowed the second-fewest yards (254.3) and fourth-fewest points (13.3).
With returning pieces Demetres Samuel Jr., Antoine Deslauriers and Chris Peal along with Toledo transfers Amare Snowden and Chris D’Appolonia, Kehres will look to steer the Orange in the right direction.
It was easy for Kehres to see the appeal of Syracuse. He described SU as a “national brand,” and he even knew the school growing up in Ohio. Kehres pointed to the reported hiring of Gerry McNamara, explaining that he was likely watching him knock down six 3-pointers against Kansas in the 2003 National Title game.
Kehres hasn’t had many changes of scenery during his coaching career. He spent 19 years at Division III Mount Union University before moving to Toledo. He revealed that both times he moved on boiled down to “who was I going to work with, and do we have the opportunity to be successful?”
“I felt those boxes were checked here at Syracuse,” Kehres said.
Syracuse’s defense was porous in 2025. Kehres is looking to build stability. He knows he’s doing things right if coaches come up to him postgame and tell him that his players are tackling well and playing with good effort.
Kehres’ mantra is “11 as one.” It’s a saying Don Montgomery — Kehres’ former defensive coordinator when he played at Mount Union — introduced.
“It’s something that I really believe deeply in,” Kehres said. “I think when the players buy into that, you know, over time, they understand how important that is too.”
Kehres eventually took over for Montgomery in 2005, coaching under his father, Larry Kehres. Eight years later, Kehres assumed his father’s role, where he won two national championships.
After half a decade with Toledo, Kehres is making the jump to a Power Four conference program for the first time. After getting offered the job, Kehres did his homework on SU’s roster, scouring Pro Football Focus.
Samuel Jr. stood out as a 17-year old starting cornerback. Kehres couldn’t believe the former four-star recruit stepped on SU’s campus when he was 16. Kehres has a son that’s the same age, who’s in 10th grade. Deslauriers, a first-team freshman All-American, was another notable piece along with Peal in the secondary.
Deslauriers and Samuel Jr. have liked what they’ve seen so far. The cornerback said the scheme is more friendly to them and “lets them play (their) game.” Deslauriers was impressed with Kehres’ knowledge of the game and mentioned he’s already gained a ton of knowledge in just two months.
“No matter the way you learn best, that’s how he’s gonna teach you,” Deslauriers said. “So he really has a personalized approach to every player. And I think it just makes it easy for us to really get to know the ins and outs of the playbook.”
With the additions of Snowden and D’Appolonia, Kehres has a strong foundation heading into the 2026 season. Although, in another timeline, Kehres might not have ended up with SU. It’s plausible he’d be Toledo’s head coach. Former Toledo head man Jason Candle was hired by UConn on Dec. 6, which is when Kehres found out about him leaving.
The same day, Kehres was in the Mount Union press box signing the terms sheet to join Syracuse. Kehres revealed there were no conversations about him leading the program.
Brown likely won’t complain, considering Kehres is a stellar defensive mind, who’s looking to build an elite defense in central New York.
