Elijah Robinson returns to Texas A&M after demotion by Fran Brown
After being demoted by Fran Brown, former Syracuse defensive coordinator Elijah Robinson accepted a defensive line coach position at Texas A&M. Lars Jendruschewitz | Senior Staff Photographer
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Former Syracuse defensive coordinator Elijah Robinson has been hired by Texas A&M as its new defensive line coach, CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz reported Sunday night. Robinson confirmed the news with a social media post Monday morning. Robinson held the same post in College Station from 2018-2023, before Fran Brown hired him to be SU’s defensive coordinator in December 2023.
The 40-year old spent two seasons with the Orange, where their defense struggled. In 2024, SU’s unit was below average, but its shortcomings were masked by Kyle McCord’s brilliance. It was a different story in 2025. Robinson’s unit was the worst in the Atlantic Coast Conference last season, allowing 34.9 points and 427.5 yards per game.
Through four games, Syracuse remained in a good position due to Steve Angeli’s stellar play. However, once he tore his Achilles, everything went downhill. The Orange lost eight consecutive games to end the year.
After Syracuse’s subpar defensive performance, Brown announced Robinson would be demoted to co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach on Dec. 2. The move was part of a litany of staff changes that Brown made at the end of the season. Following that decision, speculation around Robinson’s future with SU started to swirl.
Initially, Football Scoop reported that Robinson was being heavily pursued by Lane Kiffin and LSU. Soon after, Nebraska was reportedly interested as well. Robinson worked under Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule at Temple and Baylor from 2014-17, alongside Brown. Ultimately, Robinson chose to return to Texas A&M, who just suffered a 10-3 defeat to No. 10 seed Miami in the College Football Playoff.
— Coach E. Rob (@Coach_E_Rob) December 22, 2025
Robinson established himself as a strong recruiter with the Aggies, especially in the northeast. He brought Fadil Diggs to Syracuse, who led the team with 7.5 sacks in 2024.
With Robinson gone, SU hired former Toledo defensive coordinator Vince Kehres to fill its defensive coordinator vacancy, while its defensive line coach role remains available.
