Syracuse HC Fran Brown has lofty aspirations for his team

During a recent interview with CuseSportsTalk.com, new Syracuse head coach Fran Brown was asked what he defines as a successful season as a head coach. Brown, who spent 2022 and 2023 as Georgia’s defensive backs coach, revealed that his definition of success is something the Orange haven’t achieved since 1987.

“You keep asking me these questions. You know what type of guy I am, right? What do you think success is?” Brown said. “In fact, I’m going to show you what success is. See that on my [wall] up there? Do you see that [points his camera to two photos of Syracuse’s only two undefeated teams in 1987 and 1959]? 1959. 1987. That’s success. That’s what [success] is for me because that’s why I was hired. I wasn’t hired here to be anything less than that. So when that doesn’t happen, that’s what I feel success is, I put a lot of pressure and weight on myself because I can handle it. To whom much is given, much is required.”

“So that’s success to me. I’m not going to sit in here, like I told you guys when we were on the show before, I think it was us and coach Robinson, I’m not going to tell you 8-4 is successful.”

It’s great that Brown has high expectations for himself and his team. But he should also probably make those expectations a bit more realistic for a Syracuse football program that’s had only one season with at least eight wins since 2013.

Brown saying that he wouldn’t view an 8-4 season for the Orange as a success comes off as a bit delusional. Yes, he’s coming from a powerhouse Georgia program, but Syracuse finishing the 2024 campaign with an 8-4 record would be huge for the school.

Every new head coach has to start somewhere, and for Brown, leading a team that’s finished with a losing record in four of the last five seasons to eight wins in 2024 would be a great accomplishment.

Syracuse is currently unranked in the AP Top 25 and they rank 72nd out of 134 FBS teams in ESPN’s most recent College Football Power Index.

Brown and the Orange will take the field together for the first time on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. EST inside their home stadium against Ohio University. The latest odds from ESPN Bet has Syracuse favored to win the matchup by at least 18 points.