SU’s special teams improved under Ricky Brumfield. Fran Brown still fired him.
Despite Syracuse's special teams unit appearing as a rare bright spot in an otherwise nightmare year, Fran Brown fired special teams coordinator Ricky Brumfield Monday. Leonardo Eriman | Photo Editor
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Syracuse’s reported firings of multiple coaches Monday morning revealed head coach Fran Brown wants a heavy overhaul entering Year 3. Brown parted ways with three members of his staff who he hired when he first took over the Orange: offensive line coach Dale Williams, defensive backs coach Joe Schaefer and co-defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Robert Wright.
But one of the reported firings came as a surprise and involved a coach who just joined SU in 2025. That was Ricky Brumfield.
Syracuse’s special teams coordinator was reportedly fired following just one season with the Orange. Brumfield notably improved the unit, flipping it from SU’s worst attribute in 2024 to arguably its best in 2025. In a down year, it was often a bright spot. And now Brown is tasked with hiring his third special teams coordinator in three years.
It’s important to note where SU’s special teams unit was when Brumfield arrived. Despite a 10-win season, Syracuse failed to find true consistency under James Vollono. The Orange shuffled through three kickers, eventually solidifying Cornell transfer Jackson Kennedy as the starter in the final weeks.
While Jack Stonehouse was still one of the nation’s top punters, he didn’t receive much help. Two of Stonehouse’s punts were disrupted versus then-No. 25 UNLV, nearly costing Syracuse an upset victory. Another punt was blocked in SU’s Holiday Bowl win over Washington State, and Vollono was let go a few days later, the only firing after Brown’s first year. Vollono’s unit ended with a 63.6 grade per Pro Football Focus, ranking 117th in the country and the worst in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Brumfield wasn’t perfect either. Georgia Tech parted ways with the coach midway through its 2024 season. Still, Brown hired him to fix SU’s woes.
“His energy and his passion during meetings. It’s real, not fake. He has real energy,” Brown said of Brumfield on Sept. 9.
Under Brumfield, the Orange used some unconventional tactics. They split long-snapping reps, using Ethan Stangle on punts and Fran Brown Jr. on field goals. Jadyn Oh produced kickoffs while Iowa transfer Tripp Woody kicked field goals. The changes worked. Woody was 22-for-22 on extra points and 12-of-14 on field goals, far better than SU’s ACC-worst 13-for-22 field goal tally in 2024.
Woody, who learned under former NFL kicker and Shirt World owner Dave Jacobs, is primed to be the kicker of the future for Syracuse. Oh’s biggest moment of the year was a surprise onside kick versus Clemson, setting the tone for an upset win in Death Valley. Oh and Brown credited the play to Brumfield, saying he implemented it early in the week and called for the play in the moment.
“Some of it is trial and error, like, let’s see what works best for our program. What works best for what we’re trying to do,” Brumfield said on Sept. 23. “My name is on it, so I’m gonna give everything that I got to make sure that it’s a positive representation of me.”
Once SU collapsed following the season-ending injury to Steve Angeli, Brumfield’s unit had a few small mishaps. The kick and punt returners never had a breakout, especially after starting kick returner and track star Malachi James went down with a season-ending injury. In the closing seconds of the first half against Pitt, Stonehouse delivered a punt directly at returner Kenny Johnson, who took the kick back for a touchdown to build a 10-point lead.
The mistake was largely a clock management issue by Brown, which he admitted to postgame as “probably one of the worst things that I’ve done since I’ve been a football coach here.”
Stonehouse, who played his final game for the Orange versus Boston College Saturday, actually helped hire Brumfield. Brown had Stonehouse call every special teams coordinator they were considering, even though Brown made the final decision. Stonehouse said Brumfield helped build his football knowledge, which is important considering Stonehouse’s likely NFL future.
Stonehouse finished the year as the third-best punter in the nation, per PFF, improving from 19th last season. The Orange’s overall special teams grade improved to 67.2, 111th in the country. It wasn’t a drastic change, but SU’s special teams didn’t put wins in harm’s way, instead pushing positive steps toward victories as the rest of the squad faltered.
This time of year usually teaches the football world that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. As Brown prepares to hire his third special teams coordinator and SU’s fourth in the last four years, only time will tell if firing Brumfield was the right decision.
Senior Staff Writer Zak Wolf contributed reporting to this story.
