‘It definitely caught me by surprise’: SU football players react to coaching shuffle
Syracuse head coach Fran Brown let go of wide recievers coach Myles White and swapped other members of his staff's positions. SU players discussed the decision Tuesday. Joe Zhao | Senior Staff Photographer
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The first thing that crosses Emanuel Ross’ mind after a loss isn’t the dynamics of Syracuse’s coaching staff. Usually he thinks about what he or the team could’ve done to win and how they can improve going forward.
Though following Syracuse’s 27-10 loss to UNC Friday, Ross didn’t have that luxury. During a team meeting Sunday, Fran Brown revealed wide receiver’s coach Myles White was no longer with the program, which he disclosed publicly on Monday.
“It’s kind of the nature of the business,” Ross told The Daily Orange Tuesday. “(White) is a great guy. I enjoyed working with him. Now he’s not here, but it’s just kind of how it goes. It definitely caught us by surprise.”
White’s departure led to a shuffling of Brown’s staff. Offensive specialists Josh Gattis will assume White’s responsibilities coaching receivers. Other changes include Nunzio Campanile going from coaching quarterbacks to tight ends — a position he previously held under Dino Babers in 2023 — with Michael Johnson taking over as quarterbacks coach. After five straight losses and SU’s bowl eligibility hanging by a thread, Brown is looking for a spark with three games remaining.
“For us to get the best out of our players for the last few games of the year, for us to possibly try to go and be able to have a fourth game and do all the things that we need to do, I felt as though some stuff needed to happen to our staff,” Brown said Monday.
White was hired in February, replacing Ross Douglas, who left for the same position at Oregon. Ross said he had a good relationship with White. When the 35-year old came in, he had an individualized plan for all the receivers, per Ross.
Still, the sophomore knows Syracuse’s receiving room hasn’t performed to expectations. However, not everything can be attributed to them. Steve Angeli led the country in passing yards before tearing his Achilles on Sept. 20.
Since then, Syracuse’s passing offense has struggled with Rickie Collins at the helm. Collins was benched last week for walk-on Joe Filardi, who accumulated 38 passing yards — SU’s lowest since 2023 — completing just 4-of-18 passes.
Even with the Orange’s recent shortcomings, Johntay Cook expressed some surprise about Brown’s coaching changes. He mentioned when you build a relationship with a staff member, there’s always going to be a “natural reaction” to them being let go.
“At the end of the day, (Fran’s) the head man,” Cook said. “He gets paid to make those decisions. So it’s his to make.”
Gattis — White’s replacement — has 15 years of college coaching, with some notable programs on his resume. He’s spent time at schools like Penn State, Alabama, Michigan, Miami and Maryland, in various offensive coaching roles.
“He’s a real teacher,” Cook said. “He’s got a lot of experience knowing how to work with different body types, different play styles, and he’s just really, he’s a vet in the coaching game.”
“He’s been at a lot of other places, and he’s just a very intelligent coach,” Ross added of Gattis. “So I’m just grateful I get to work with him now, because he brings a lot to the table, and he’s teaching me a lot about the game that I haven’t known before.”
Former Syracuse wide receivers coach Myles White walks to the Dome during a Quad Walk. White was released from the program Monday amid SU’s five-game losing streak. Leonardo Eriman | Photo Editor
Campanile and Johnson’s switch is also of note. Campanile has a strong connection with Angeli. Campanile’s brother Vito coached Angeli at Bergen Catholic (NJ) and played a role in bringing the quarterback to SU. Through four games, Angeli picked up where Kyle McCord left off, but since then it’s been a different story.
Collins threw more interceptions than touchdowns, and Syracuse has lost five straight games, with Collins starting four of them. With that, Brown has turned to Johnson.
“They both coach very hard. Obviously they have two different coaching styles,” Collins said of Johnson and Campanile. “They’re two different people. Their takes on certain things, or how we should go about certain things, that’s the biggest difference I see.”
Syracuse’s starting quarterback situation remains in flux. On Monday, Brown refused to name a starter for its matchup with No. 18 Miami. The three options likely are Collins, Filardi or Luke Carney. Brown said Carney can appear in one more game before redshirting, which remains the plan. Filardi didn’t look the part in his first start, but that’s expected considering he was SU’s fifth-string quarterback at the start of the season.
That leaves Collins. Despite his subpar play, he might be the best option. Whoever plays, it’ll be the first game following SU’s re-ordering of the coaching staff. To clinch its fourth-straight bowl appearance, Syracuse needs to win its final three games, and that starts in South Beach, Florida on Saturday.
“Those guys are coaching us, but we’re out there performing what they teach us,” Collins said. “Their jobs are basically in our hands, so (Brown) has to do his best for him and his family and also the other coaches’ families.”
