I

t was a weekday like any other for the students of Cherry Hill West (NJ) High School, until they looked out the window.

Fran Brown had Cherry Hill’s Rodney Williams running through drills in the hallway, next to a classroom with a window for a wall. Brown, who was back in town as Temple’s new defensive backs coach in 2013, monitored Williams’ technique and skill, but also his demeanor and response to the pressure.

“We coach some high-level athletes and have had everyone in America in our buildings, and I had never seen that approach before,” said then-Cherry Hill West head coach Brian Wright. “That was certainly different and unique and I think it kind of encapsulates who Fran really is.”

Williams played at Syracuse for four years before transferring to Temple, where he finished his career under Brown. But that was just the start of his Cherry Hill recruiting successes. A few years later, Brown came back to speak with Harrison Hand, bringing then-head coach Matt Rhule with him. Wright and Hand met them at a local pizza joint, where Wright said Rhule took a backseat, and Brown ran the show.

“I walked away from that meeting and thought, ‘Matt Rhule trusts that guy with his life,’” Wright said. “A lot of the kids build those relationships where they feel that way about Franny. He even has relationships with the kids that don’t go where he wants them to go. To me, that’s the real test of the man he is and why people believe in Fran so much.”

Brown was named the 31st head football coach in Syracuse history Tuesday. He has no head coaching experience at the collegiate level, but was ranked the top recruiter for the 2024 class by 247Sports. Brown has developed deep recruiting ties in his home of south Jersey, one of Syracuse’s primary recruiting grounds. The 41-year-old from Camden has an “uncanny ability” to connect with a variety of people, Wright said, and can now bring a national recruiting base and rousing presence to SU.

Those familiar with Brown from south Jersey believe in him because he’s genuine. In two years at Rutgers, he flipped at least three players after they’d committed to other programs. According to Garrett Lucas, Rancocas Valley Regional High School head coach and a friend of Brown’s, Max Melton (Purdue), Chris Long (Temple) and Tyreem Powell (Virginia Tech) all abandoned their prior commitments to follow Brown to Rutgers.

“He actually cares to go get that extra step and make those legitimate connections,” Lucas said.

While at Temple, Brown visited defensive lineman R.J. Moten’s house. It was his second meeting with him, and his family was in attendance this time. Brown recalled specifics of Moten’s life without references or questions, including the names of his girlfriend and sister, Madison, knowing she played lacrosse at Temple.

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Though Moten ended up at Michigan, Lucas said he and his parents were taken aback by Brown’s vested interest. When Brown wants someone, he makes them feel like family and connects to theirs. As a husband and father of three, family is always a priority for Brown, according to Next Level Greats coach Marcus Hammond, who’s known Brown since childhood.

“The great ones, they recruit the family, not just the individual,” said Dwayne Savage, Brown’s high school coach and former Camden Catholic High School head coach. “He’s going to make sure they take care of their family, because he’s family first. He’s going to make sure academics are on top, and all the stuff on the football field will take care of itself. He’s going to make sure they’re good mentally off the field first.”

Once they do commit to him, they are family, Hammond said. That’s how he views whatever room he’s in charge of. Lucas said recruiting “can be a sham at times,” and is a process full of deceit, but Brown doesn’t partake in that. There’s substance and honesty behind his words, and the players can feel that authenticity both on and off the field.

“He’s going to tell them how it is and what they need to improve on,” Savage said. “He’s not going to sugarcoat anything.”

All of Brown’s career choices have served his goal of becoming a Power Five head coach, Savage said. And his approach to practice is no different than his recruiting tactics. He’s blunt, energetic and will bring some “northeast swagger” to Syracuse, Savage said. Brown always feels like he’s got something to prove, and his most successful players adopt that mindset.

When Rhule left Temple, Brown was the runner-up for the head coaching vacancy, according to Lucas. On Twitter, Steelers linebacker, and former Temple player, Chapelle Russell, said players “begged” for Brown to assume the position. Former Eagles linebacker Shaun Bradley, who played for the Owls from 2016-19, said he “helped change my life.” Brown ended up at Rutgers shortly after.

Once there, he recruited SU safety Alijah Clark, a Camden High School graduate, very aggressively, Savage said. Rutgers was Clark’s second offer, and he was the program’s first commit in its 2021 class, leaving for Syracuse when Brown went to Georgia in 2022.

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During his one year at Rutgers, Clark came back to his alma mater for a basketball game. When Wright asked him why he chose the Scarlet Knights, Clark didn’t hesitate, saying “Coach Brown, c’mon baby.”

“The thing that’s different about Fran from other people is, after you sign and are on campus, he continues to make you feel special,” Wright said. “You’re not just a number and you’re not just a recruit.”

Brown helped Savage manage Clark’s high school schedule so he could enroll at Rutgers a semester early. He’s done that for countless athletes. Brown also helped current Washington Commander, and six-year NFL veteran Sean Chandler, get back on track academically during a rough period in his life, Savage said. The pair still share a close bond.

“We see Franny as one of our own, as a guy who we are all proud of for everything he’s done for himself and south Jersey football as well,” Wright said. “So the guys in-state who might think about going to Rutgers or Penn State or Pittsburgh, I don’t think there’s a thought anymore of where they’re going to go. They’re going to head up to Syracuse.”

Brown has connections to virtually every top recruit in the state of New Jersey, Lucas said. No matter where they live or learn, he’s got “a hand or a foot on it.” Thus, the introductions and subsequent connections he makes with players are natural. He grew up in similar conditions to many of the players, and can easily relate to them. Most of Rutgers’ top performers right now were, in some way, shaped or recruited by Brown, Lucas said.

South Jersey coaches believe Brown has the potential to turn Syracuse into an ACC powerhouse because of his recruiting prowess, especially in the northeast.

Multiple recruits in the area have already taken to social media to profess their support for Brown and potential interest in Syracuse. Three-star athlete William Love tweeted he could now shift his focus to Syracuse. Despite On3’s projection that Syracuse has just a 3.3% chance to land Love, Brown’s hiring has changed everything.

“Coach Fran was the first-ever coach to take a chance on me and to recruit me my freshman year when I wasn’t at the best of my ability,” Love said. “He sat me down and had a talk with me and my family and just told us to keep working and everything would pay off. That’s always going to hold a special place … and he pushed me to do that.”

His interest in SU has gone up because of Brown, and Love said south Jersey will essentially become his “backyard” for recruiting.

Syracuse has received 15 high school commitments out of New Jersey since former head coach Dino Babers was hired, including six in the class of 2024. South Jersey coaches expect those numbers to skyrocket with Brown leading the program.

LeQuint Allen Jr. received his first college offer from Brown at Rutgers. Naturally, he and Clark were among the first to congratulate Brown on the new position. They, along with the rest of south Jersey, know how impactful Brown’s leadership is to his players.

“Each head coach has someone they rely on,” Hammond said about Brown. “He’s run a whole practice and I’ve seen that first hand… He’s able to run the show, and he has before without the title.”

After a national championship at Georgia, Brown has a nation-wide recruiting base at his disposal, along with extensive name, image and likeness experience. Those are both new for SU. NIL has quickly become a staple of college football recruiting, and Brown knows how to translate it to on-field success, Lucas said. The Bulldogs’ 2024 recruiting class was the best in the nation, according to 247Sports, and Brown was a primary reason for that.

He’s swung top recruits to Georgia from elite programs like Alabama and LSU, and he won’t shy away from going after high-level talent at Syracuse, Hammond said. Now that he’s seen how Rhule, Greg Schiano and Kirby Smart run their programs, “his wings are spread,” Savage said. He can recruit anyone from anywhere.

“He has this ability to relate to all types of people,” Wright said. “Whoever’s in front of him, he is going to have that person trust in him and most of the time, people buy into what Fran has to say.”

Syracuse has not recruited a five-star since 2000, but Savage believes the Orange will land one soon under Brown.

His secondary in 2023 was ranked the best in the country by Pro Football Focus, as he’s brought in three five-stars over the past two seasons. The two he recruited for 2024, cornerback Ellis Robinson IV and linebacker Justin Williams, are ranked No. 1 at their respective positions. And, despite his short stint at Georgia, an outpour of support from his players has followed the Syracuse appointment.

Still, south Jersey is special to Brown, as are the people from there. Hammond knows that better than anyone.

When he was a walk-on at North Carolina A&T, Hammond didn’t have much going for him. Brown, who was two years older and playing at Western Carolina at the time, let Hammond sleep on his couch even though they hadn’t been close in years. They’d wake up at 4 or 5 a.m. to work out. Even then, Brown was always trying to help, giving Hammond training tips that eventually helped him make the team at Carolina A&T.

Before Brown even thought of coaching, he’s always been a mentor for his community. He will continue to be that, on a much larger scale, as Syracuse’s next head football coach.

“He’s the kind of guy that will give you the shirt off his back,” Hammond said.

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Published on November 30, 2023 at 1:20 am

Contact Wyatt: wbmiller@syr.edu