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Editor’s note: Saturday Down South’s annual Crystal Ball series continues with Syracuse. We’ll go in alphabetical order through the 17-team ACC.
Previously: Boston College | Cal | Clemson | Duke | FSU | Georgia Tech | Louisville | Miami | NC State | North Carolina | Pitt | SMU | Stanford
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Brown is the new Orange.
At least it is at Syracuse, where a charismatic young coach with a surname that evokes memories of a glorious past swept into town and immediately created a buzz with his energetic vision for the future of a program in desperate need of a facelift.
It didn’t take long after being hired to replace Dino Babers last December for Fran Brown to win over Syracuse’s fans.
And they’re not the only ones who quickly bought in.
Within a month of his arrival, the former Georgia assistant showed why he’s ranked as college football’s top recruiter by bringing in 3 players with him from the Bulldogs, landing a franchise quarterback from Ohio State, convincing several of the Orange’s top returning players to stay and signing the school’s highest-rated freshman class since the current rating format came into existence.
It’s an early success Brown has built by selling himself rather than a program that has averaged only 5 wins per season over the past quarter-century located in a region that averages more than 100 inches of snow per year.
“I just want to win,” he said. “Like, I want to win. I want to make sure that Syracuse gets back to where it belongs. Where it was. Where football kind of started, in my opinion. Back to Jim Brown, Ernie Davis, Floyd Little, Larry Csonka, all those guys that played. It’s like a nonstop race for us to make sure we actually continue to go and try to accomplish greatness. To give these young men an opportunity to show the country who they are football-wise.”
At the same time, Brown isn’t into quick fixes.
While he has assembled a roster that has a legitimate shot at exceeding the low bar voters in the ACC’s preseason poll has set for his first team – especially with a schedule that avoids Florida State and Clemson – his goal at Syracuse is building a program with staying power.
“A program has some substance behind it,” he called it.
Like most great recruiters, Brown talks a good game. The difference is that when he looks you in the eye and tells you who he is, what he’s about and how he plans to get the best out of you, it’s hard not to get caught up in his excitement.
He’s already won the press conference and the transfer portal.
Now it’s time to win games.
Transfer tracker
A coach is only as good as his players. And there weren’t enough of them on Syracuse’s to keep the last coach around. So Job 1 for Brown and his new staff was collecting as much talent as they could get their hands on as quickly as possible.
But not just any talent.
Before Brown would consider adding a player off the portal, he had to meet 1 of 2 very specific criteria.
“If you only have 1 year, you’ve got to be a difference-maker,” he said. “Otherwise you’ve got to have at least 2 years because you won’t fit into our culture.”
Between those 1-year rentals and foundational cornerstones, the new Orange coach succeeded in putting together a 19-man transfer class. Many of its members might never have previously considered playing for Syracuse.
The highest-profile and most important member of the group is quarterback Kyle McCord, who won 11 straight games at Ohio State last season before losing to eventual national champion Michigan and losing his starting job. The receiving corps has been upgraded with the addition of fellow transfers Jackson Meeks and Zeed Haynes – 2 of the 3 former Georgia players that followed Brown to upstate New York. The 3rd former Bulldog, Joshua Miller, will beef up the line protecting McCord up front.
Brown brought in reinforcements on defense as well thanks to the arrival of edge rusher Fadil Diggs from Texas A&M, former 4-star tackle Isaiah Hastings from Alabama and the return of cornerback Duce Chestnut, who transferred back to Syracuse after spending a year at LSU.
What will Syracuse’s new offense look like?
One thing is certain about the offense being put together by new coordinator Jeff Nixon, formerly the running backs coach of the New York Giants. It will bear absolutely no resemblance to the patchwork crew that played a tight end at quarterback, mustered only 159 yards and got shut out by USF in the Boca Raton Bowl last December.
Well, maybe a little resemblance.
Leading rusher LeQuint Allen, who ran for 1,064 yards and 9 touchdowns while also catching 36 passes out of the backfield, is back. And this year, he won’t be his team’s only viable offensive weapon. Allen is joined in the backfield by dynamic freshman Yasin Willis, who showcased his potential by reeling off 6 runs of 10 yards or more in Syracuse’s spring game.
Georgia transfer Hayes also had an impressive spring debut that included a 38-yard touchdown catch. Along with former Bulldog teammate Meeks, Colorado State’s Justus Ross-Simmons and All-ACC tight end Oronde Gadsden II, who returns after missing all but 2 games last season because of injury last season, there are plenty of available options in the passing game.
That brings us to the trigger man.
McCord is a former 5-star recruit who never lived up to the standard of his predecessor, 1st-round NFL Draft pick CJ Stroud, in the eyes of Buckeyes fans. While there are some questions about his lack of mobility and consistency, he still threw for 3,170 yards, 24 touchdowns with only 6 interceptions. He’s the centerpiece of what promises to be a balanced Orange offense.
“I think we’ll be dynamic at every single position – offensive line, tight end, receiver,” McCord said. “We have a lot of great weapons. I’m excited to get going.”
What will Syracuse’s new defense look like?
Brown’s first order of business upon arriving at Syracuse was to hire Elijah Robinson to run his defense. Robinson was the co-defensive coordinator at Texas A&M and served as the Aggies’ interim coach after Jimbo Fisher was fired.
Brown and Robinson have more than just coaching football in common. They’re former high school classmates from Camden, NJ, and worked together for a time at Temple and Baylor. They are simpatico in their defensive philosophies and have put together an aggressive 4-2-5 scheme custom-built to showcase the bulk of the Orange’s returning talent.
The centerpiece of the defense is All-ACC linebacker and leading tackler Marlowe Wax, who briefly considered entering the NFL Draft before returning to Syracuse. The secondary is also solid with the return of safety Justin Barron, one of several players to withdraw from the transfer portal after meeting the new staff, and Alijah Clark to go along with transfer corners Chestnut and Buffalo’s Devin Grant.
The biggest questions are up front, where the Orange lost all 3 starters from Babers’ old 3-3-5 alignment. But Robinson is a defensive line coach by trade. And in addition to his leadership and experience, he brought another Camden native along with him from College Station to help solidify the position group.
Diggs is an athletic 6-5, 260-pound edge rusher who served 2 seasons as a captain for the Aggies. He was 2nd on the team with 4 sacks and 11 TFLs last season. The inside of the defensive line has been solidified by the addition of 6-5, 296-pound tackle Dion Wilson, who has played 3 seasons at Arizona and New Mexico State.
Game-by-game predictions
Week 1: vs. Ohio (W)
The Bobcats ranked 6th nationally in scoring defense, allowing only 15.8 points per game last season. But this new-and-improved Syracuse offense isn’t like anything they’ll see in the MAC. The Fran Brown era is off to a winning start.
Week 2: vs. Georgia Tech (L)
Yellow Jackets might be jet-lagged from the long trip home from Ireland. But Haynes King has more weapons and more chemistry with his receivers than McCord and his new crew.
Week 3: Open
Week 4: vs. Stanford (W)
Stanford’s defense has a knack for making average running backs look like All-Americans. There’s no telling how big a number a back like Allen, who actually has a shot at being an All-American, will put up against the Cardinal.
Week 5: vs. Holy Cross (W)
As long as the Orange learn a lesson from Boston College, which needed a defensive stand in the final 2 minutes to avoid an upset at the hands of the Crusaders last year, this should be a comfortable win.
Week 6: at UNLV (W)
The Orange will have their work cut out for them against an up-tempo UNLV attack that averaged 34 points per game on the way to 9 wins in 2023. This is a matchup that will test the old football adage of “defense travels.” Just in case, Brown might also want to bring his offense on the trip to Sin City.
Week 7: at NC State (L)
The Wolfpack have added considerable offensive firepower to a defense that is annually among the ACC’s best. And they’re at home, where Dave Doeren’s team is 23-4 over the past 4 seasons.
Week 8: Open
Week 9: at Pitt (W)
Both teams are looking to rebound from disappointing seasons. And both might need this win to have a shot at bowl eligibility. Give the edge to Brown and his new staff, who did a much better job addressing their team’s needs through the transfer portal than Pat Narduzzi and his staff.
Week 10: vs. Virginia Tech (L)
The improving Orange will make this interesting. But the already-established Hokies have too many offensive weapons and too many ways to beat you.
Week 11: at Boston College (L)
This might sound strange considering that the climate in upstate New York is similar to that of the Boston area. But the Orange will be at a disadvantage playing outdoors in a cold weather environment in early November.
Week 12: at Cal (L)
For the 2nd straight week, Syracuse falls victim to an opponent’s home-field advantage. This time it’s the cross-country trip and the running of Jaydn Ott that does the Orange in,
Week 13: vs. UConn (W)
A win against a former Big East rival secures bowl eligibility in Brown’s debut season.
Week 14: vs. Miami (L)
The Orange could be in a position to play spoiler to the Hurricanes ACC Championship Game hopes. That could turn out to be a game-changer. Even then, Syracuse will need a few breaks to have a shot at beating a Miami team with a clear advantage in talent on both sides of the ball.
2024 projection: 6-6 (2-6)
#CuseFootball
Brown has created considerable buzz among the Orange faithful with his forceful, direct personality and some impressive transfer pickups. Clearly, though, the rest of the ACC has yet to catch on and feel the same kind of excitement. Syracuse was picked to finish 12th in the preseason poll.
That’s probably about right based on last year. But the team Brown has assembled in the short time he’s been on the job is much more talented, experienced and deep.
Especially on offense.
The Orange has also been blessed with a manageable schedule that includes 4 winnable nonconference games and an ACC slate that avoids perennial league favorites Florida State or Clemson. Among the teams they do play are both California newcomers, along with potential bottom-feeders Boston College and Pitt.
It’s a recipe for a much higher-than-predicted finish. Possibly even in the top half of the conference standings.
Award-winning columnist Brett Friedlander has covered the ACC and college basketball since the 1980s.
