Fran Brown talks Clemson D-line, underdog mentality at weekly press conference
Fran Brown discussed Clemson's formidable defensive front at his weekly press conference Monday. Aaron Hammer | Staff Photographer
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Fran Brown and Dabo Swinney have never faced each other as head coaches. But their appreciation for each other runs deep.
Following Syracuse’s upset win over then-No. 8 Miami last season, Brown congratulated Swinney on getting to the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship. Without SU’s victory, Clemson would’ve missed the ACC Championship Game.
Swinney even revealed that Brown gave him a “colorful phone call” after aiding his team.
So, when the Tigers took down Southern Methodist University to clinch a spot in the College Football Playoff, Swinney reciprocated the love in a postgame interview.
“I wanna go right back at Fran Brown, and give Fran Brown a shoutout. We appreciate the opportunity to be here tonight,” Swinney said, while being interviewed by ESPN’s Molly McGrath.
During his weekly press conference, Brown labelled Swinney as a “top five coach in the country,” while admiring the culture he’s built. Now Brown will try and take down Swinney as SU travels to Death Valley, a place where it has never won before.
Here are some takeaways from Brown’s press conference ahead of Syracuse’s (2-1, 0-0 ACC) conference against Clemson (1-2, 0-0 ACC):
Underdog mentality
It’s no secret Syracuse is an underdog this weekend. Despite the Tigers’ 1-2 record, initial ESPN betting lines favor them by 16.5 points.
“I don’t care what Vegas says,” Brown said, before alluding to last weekend’s marquee boxing match. “Vegas said Canelo (Álvarez) was about to win, (Terence) Crawford said different.”
Betting lines and oddsmakers’ analysis of Brown’s team don’t concern him. He’s “just focused on today.” It’s a mentality that suits him, given that he’s been “an underdog his entire life.”
Brown pointed to rapper The Game’s hit song “Hate It Or Love It,” featuring 50 Cent. In the song, 50 Cent raps, “Hate it or love it, the underdog’s on top. And I’m gon’ shine, homie, until my heart stop.”
“That’s my song,” Brown said as he flashed a smile.
The underdog mentality suits Brown. Last season, SU was picked to finish 12th in the ACC. It finished fourth. Its over-under win total was set at 6.5. The Orange responded by notching 10 wins for just the third time since 2000.
The Tigers will be one of Brown’s toughest tests since taking over at SU. The Orange were heavy underdogs in their Week 1 blowout loss against then-No. 24 Tennessee. Even though Clemson is unranked after a recent loss to Georgia Tech, Brown said it’s “a couple plays away from being 3-0.” Defeating the Tigers might not be classified as an “upset,” but Syracuse winning would be a surprising result.
Tigers in the trenches
Clemson’s defensive line posits problems for any team, let alone Syracuse, who has a shaky offensive line. Brown knows that. He was blunt as he assessed the Tigers talent in the trenches.
“They f*cking nice,” Brown said while shaking his head.
The head coach pointed to T.J. Parker and Peter Woods, who are ESPN’s No. 1 and No. 3 prospects, respectively, for the 2026 NFL Draft. Brown also praised defensive tackle DeMonte Capehart and Will Heldt off the edge.
Brown also praised Clemson’s linebackers, including Sammy Brown, someone Brown tried to recruit at Georgia. He labeled the Tigers’ front seven “as one of the best in the country.”
“The offensive line is going to compete their butts off, but (Clemson) is nice,” Brown said.
The sheer depth worries Brown. Syracuse is already without starting left tackle Trevion Mack, who missed the last two games. The Orange have struggled to protect Steve Angeli, who was sacked five times against Tennessee. Angeli has gone down three times across the past two weeks, but Clemson’s defensive talent is in a different stratosphere than UConn and Colgate’s.
“They do a good job. It’s going to be a good test for us,” Brown said. “But watching film, you be like, ‘Damn!’ I’m excited to play them.”
Additional notes
Syracuse got an extra day of rest due to its Friday game against Colgate, but that doesn’t mean its preparation was any different this week. Brown noted that recovery is “the most important part of football,” both physical and mental. With the extra off-day, he tried to take his players’ minds away from football for a bit to get them ready for their ACC opener.
This is Syracuse’s first true road game of the year, and it has to travel to one of the toughest atmospheres in the country. Memorial Stadium is a fortress. Since 2014, Clemson is 42-4 against ACC opponents at home.
SU’s opening game in Atlanta was challenging due to a large Tennessee contingent, but this is a different test. Syracuse nearly pulled off shocking upsets in 2018 and 2022, but the Tigers pulled off miraculous second-half comebacks on both occasions.
It’s difficult to simulate the raucous environment of 80,000 Clemson fans. Brown said SU has to find “something to make it loud for the offense.” He jokingly suggested he’ll tell everybody he sees outside to come to practice today.
“I’m not sure, but we’ll figure it out. We’re just going to have fun though,” Brown said.
This offseason, the ACC instituted a new policy, which requires programs to report players’ injury status two days before games. It doesn’t require programs to report the specific injury, but Brown will have to give updates on players like Yasin Willis, Mack and others.
Brown said certain players will be listed as questionable on Thursday and Friday. Two hours before Saturday’s game, he’ll reveal whether they will play or not. As for Mack, Brown hopes he’ll play and that he’ll push him to play, but it “depends on his body and how it reacts.”
He gave a more concrete answer on Willis, saying that if “everything goes right, he’ll play.”
