VCU’s Ryan Daly, PSU’s Jamal Brunt reportedly join Syracuse coaching staff
VCU assistant coach Ryan Daly and Penn State associate head coach Jamal Brunt are reportedly joining Gerry McNamara’s staff at Syracuse. Leonardo Eriman | Daily Orange File Photo
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VCU assistant coach Ryan Daly and Penn State associate head coach Jamal Brunt are reportedly joining Gerry McNamara’s staff at Syracuse. The Field of 68’s Jeff Goodman first reported Daly was heading to SU, while The Centre Daily Times’ Jon Sauber was first to report Brunt’s move.
Daly, 28, worked under Phil Martelli Jr. as an assistant at Bryant during the 2024-25 season before following him to VCU. The Bulldogs and Rams both made the NCAA Tournament with Daly. After averaging 18.0 points per game across two seasons at Delaware from 2016-18 and two seasons at Saint Joseph’s from 2019-21, Daly began his coaching career as an assistant coach at UAlbany in 2022.
Meanwhile, Brunt served as the Nittany Lions’ associate head coach and defensive coordinator for the last three seasons. Per KenPom, Penn State’s defense ranked No. 81, No. 69 and No. 230, respectively, during that time. Brunt began his coaching career in 2003. He’s also been an associate head coach at VCU and Richmond. His other stops include Atlantic Coast Conference rival Miami and Randolph-Macon.
Daly and Brunt are the first coaches to reportedly join the Orange’s staff since McNamara was hired. On Monday, McNamara said to expect some familiar faces and new faces as he finalizes his first staff as Syracuse’s head coach.
“We’re not in limbo,” McNamara said Monday. “I want to make sure that everybody, in terms of getting on payroll and everyone getting through HR, then we’ll start to roll everybody out. But we’re in position. Don’t follow me home tonight, but I got a couple guys waiting.”
Other names to watch are former SU players Arinze Onuaku and Ryan Blackwell, who worked with McNamara at Siena.
