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Facing Tennessee is a bit more complicated for Fran Brown these days. As Georgia’s defensive backs coach from 2022-23, his preparation was through a positional lens. He dissected every nuance so his defensive backs were successful. It worked.

In two games against the Volunteers, Georgia outscored them 65-23, while holding Hendon Hooker and Joe Milton — both current NFL quarterbacks — to under 200 yards passing.

Now, as the head of Syracuse’s operation, Brown’s job is more complicated. His responsibilities are endless, preparing the team for one of its biggest tests since taking over.

Brown doesn’t have as much talent at his disposal as he did in Athens. The Orange are facing a team coming off a College Football Playoff berth and one consistently ranked in the Top 25 over the last couple of years.

“They’re a good program, it’s a good team,” Brown said of Tennessee. “So it’s a good test for us to have a chance to go out and see if we’re ready to compete.”

Here are some takeaways from Brown’s press conference ahead of SU’s season-opener against No. 24 Tennessee:

Breaking down Tennessee

Brown praised on Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel, who has a 37-15 record since taking over in 2021. He said preparing for Tennessee at Georgia was “the hardest week of the season.”

During a lengthy response, Brown reviewed the Volunteers’ roster, listing their talent. He started with quarterback Joey Aguilar, an Appalachian State transfer. The Mountaineers used to play in the Southern Conference — alongside Brown’s alma mater Western Carolina — so he’s always had an eye for standouts from his former rivals. Aguilar was one of them. Per Brown, the quarterback can “sling the ball.”

Despite losing Southeastern Conference Offensive Player of the Year Dylan Sampson, Brown is a fan of Tennessee’s running back room, which includes DeSean Bishop and Peyton Lewis. Tennessee didn’t release a depth chart Monday — neither did Syracuse — so who gets the bulk of the carries is unknown.

On defense, Brown said he respects UT’s defensive coordinator Tim Banks and pointed to the Vols’ talent in the secondary. Though he won’t play Saturday, Brown called Jermod McCoy one of the best cornerbacks in the country. Fellow cornerback Boo Carter — who Brown tried recruiting while at Georgia — will play, despite spending time away from Tennessee this summer.

The biggest challenge for Brown is whether Syracuse’s offensive line can remain firm against Tennessee’s ferocious defensive line. UT has plenty of depth in the trenches, while SU brought in a litany of transfers in the offseason, looking to bring more size up front.

“I’m not sure,” Brown said of how his O-Line will perform. “We only get to tell this weekend. I’ll get to tell you that Saturday on how we’ll be able to match that.”

Self-motivation

It doesn’t take much to motivate Brown. He’s energized by simply getting up every day. Playing on national television or in a state-of-the-art NFL stadium doesn’t heighten the stage or increase the tension. Brown’s approach is the same no matter the opponent.

“I don’t want to give nobody else ammo to be happy about us playing them,” Brown said, “We’re happy to play football. Y’all could have put Rowan on the schedule, and we were going to make sure that we practice the same way.”

Brown said his drive is from making sure he does things the right way. He often talks about Syracuse’s rich tradition and feels a deep responsibility to uphold its standard.

Despite Brown labeling Tennessee as one of the best teams in the country, he wants Syracuse to be level-headed. He said if the Orange spend the entire week focusing on playing the Volunteers, while not remembering the little things, they’re not going to have a chance to pull off an upset.

“To give us a chance to be able to compete against them, we got to be on our feet, so that on Saturday, we got an opportunity to be able to keep the game close,” Brown said. “(Tennessee’s) been putting 50-60 (points) on people in the beginning of the year, so I don’t want to be a team that gives up 50-60.

Angeli steps up

Steve Angeli has plenty of pressure on his shoulders. Kyle McCord might’ve set Syracuse fans’ expectations too high by having arguably the best single-season by an SU quarterback. McCord is a tough act to follow, but that’s something Angeli has to grapple with.

Ahead of just his second career start and first since Dec. 29, 2023, Brown gave his starting quarterback a vote of confidence.

“Steve’s ready to go,” Brown said. “He’s been like that since he was at Bergen Catholic. Now he just got an opportunity to lead a team again, so Steve’s ready to go. He’s about winning.”

Since winning the starting job over Rickie Collins last Monday, Angeli’s “taken his game to another level,” according to Brown. He quickly pointed out Collins did the same.

Throughout training camp, Brown wanted his starter to be someone everyone could gravitate towards, since they’re often seen as the face of the team. So building connections with everyone is important. It relates to how Brown makes all 116 players on SU’s roster learn everybody’s name. Those connections need to be deeper when you’re the starting quarterback.

“Steve just had that naturally in him,” Brown said. “That’s naturally his leadership ability, to be able to connect and relate to different people and do those things. So, I mean, I think it’s helped a lot.”

Published on August 25, 2025 at 6:19 pm
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