Takeaways from Fran Brown’s 1st fall presser: O-Line focus, bounce-back year
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Syracuse football will begin its fall camp Wednesday, meaning head coach Fran Brown held court for the first time of the 2026 season on Tuesday.
Before his third year helming the Orange, Brown discussed last season’s regression, where SU went 3-9 and lost its final eight games. He shared optimism about the offseason coaching changes to his staff, as well as his positive outlook on his team for the 2026 campaign.
Brown also addressed quarterback Steve Angeli’s injury recovery and discussed how Friday’s preliminary injunction granting the class of 2022 another year of eligibility won’t affect Syracuse’s team.
Here are some takeaways from Brown’s first press conference of the new season:
Injunction’s implications on Syracuse’s team
Brown said he’s “really comfortable” with SU’s current team and has no plans to add players that may be available through the injunction that dropped Friday, which preliminarily affords athletes from the 2022 high school recruiting class another year of eligibility through a Colorado judge’s ruling.
“We’re just real comfortable with the team that we have and we’ve gotten the chance to develop,” Brown said. “We’ve been together since January. I feel like we’ve really bonded in a good way. It’s a lot of genuine love and care for each other.”
The ruling, which the NCAA plans to appeal, cannot be applied to any athletes who have signed pro contracts.
How Syracuse has learned, progressed from last season
Brown’s first season with the Orange was a revelation, winning 10 games and garnering national attention. His second in 2025, which featured nine losses, was forgettable.
Nonetheless, Brown said Tuesday he was told by former Syracuse and NFL coach Tom Coughlin that it takes four years to “truly build a program the way you want.”
“We’re in the right spot right now,” Brown went on to say. “I’m thankful, happy where we are. I’m happy with the leaders that we got. I think we have real leaders that got to be here last year and again.”
Brown noted he had strong leaders during his first season in 2024, but they all departed after that successful campaign. Through the rough 2025 season, Brown said SU developed new leaders.
“I feel like sometimes there were guys that didn’t have enough a guy in the back of them that he knew could push them,” Brown said.
Brown said that’s changed. The team has more depth to deal with injuries, another problem that plagued the Orange in 2025.
He’s also made changes to improve. New defensive coordinator Vince Kehres will adjust pretty quickly, Brown said. One of Kehres’ mantras for his defenses in the past at Mount Union and Toledo was “11 is 1,” emphasizing the defense’s unity. Brown altered the saying Tuesday, saying “our entire team is all as one.”
“The mindset is still going to be the same,” Brown said. “We’re going to have a relentless approach at everything that we do, but I think there’s a lot of new people. There’s new blood. There’s a lot of different energy.”
Offensive line focus
When asked what position group fans should watch out for, Brown said the offensive line is “probably going to get a lot better.” The unit contains returners in Trevion Mack, Joe Cruz, Byron Washington, Kam Pringle and Naquil Betrand, who all saw significant playing time last season.
However, the position group has a new leader in coordinator Juan Castillo. Castillo is an experienced mind, having coached at the NCAA and NFL levels for over 40 years. Brown said he’s “confident in his ability” and highlighted Castillo’s work ethic and love of football. The offensive line also features newcomers in transfers like Oluwafunto Akinshilo (UCLA) and many freshmen.
“They’ve been doing a really good job,” Brown said of the offensive line. “I’m really proud of them. I think our O-Line will make the whole team better. So they’re leaders on the field.”
Brown went on to say the offensive line is “going to run the team,” and he’s looking forward to seeing what the unit can do.
“See how tough they are,” Brown said. “Can they protect the quarterback? Can they give us some creases to be able to run the ball? And will they get the D-Line tougher? And will they help the linebackers be able to trigger and know what they need to do? Our offensive line is going to help our football team become the team that we’re supposed to become.”
Other scribbles in the notebook
At the Atlantic Coast Conference Media Days in mid-July, Angeli said he could suit up if the season started that day. Tuesday, reflecting on Angeli’s season-ending Achilles tear he suffered in Syracuse’s win over Clemson in its fourth game last year, Brown thought the injury was ultimately good for his signal-caller.
“Him getting hurt was… probably the best thing to happen to him and myself,” Brown said Tuesday. “Probably the best thing that’s going to happen to our program, because we’re going to be able to take off and go to another level.”
The injury helped Angeli understand how to truly lead, Brown said, by having a vantage point of what was going right and wrong for the Orange.
“I just think he’s a good leader, and I think that we both learned a lot from last season,” Brown said.
On the heels of Syracuse’s 1-7 ACC record and last-place finish in the conference last year, the Orange were predicted to finish 14th of 17 teams in the ACC preseason poll, released July 28.
Brown pays no mind to the polls.
“I’m not supposed to be the head coach at Syracuse from the polls,” he quipped Tuesday. “So, man, I beat the odds on that. We’ll see. We’re gonna compete. I don’t really care about (the preseason poll). They don’t even motivate me.”
Syracuse’s unsuccessful 2025 campaign also led to key contributors transferring out. The exits included wide receivers Johntay Cook (Ole Miss), Darrell Gill (Ole Miss) and Emanuel Ross (UConn), plus running back Yasin Willis (Kansas). Brown said Tuesday he was “happy” for all of the players who left.
Brown admitted the sole departing transfer across his SU tenure he was “upset about” was wide receiver Trebor Peña, who left the Orange for Penn State before the 2025 season.
“I just thought he was an electrifying player,” Brown said of Peña without referring to him by name. “He could have helped a lot, and I thought we could have helped him.”
The head coach wished the players who transferred away well but said, “the team that we have now is a better fit for us.”
“I’m not upset about any of them leaving,” Brown said. “I’m actually happy that they’re comfortable and happy being in another place. That’s the most important thing.”
