The loss against the North Carolina Tar Heels is still fresh in Fran Brown’s program’s heart, and the ACC Football Rankings chose to hurt some more. As per the latest Week 11 rankings, the Syracuse Orange has been pushed to No.16 from last week’s No.12.  Syracuse’s downfall since Steve Angeli got hurt is almost unfathomable. While fans are still nursing their fresh wound after the Tar Heels’ loss, here comes an update about Angeli, which might act as a healing balm.  

On November 3, Cuse Sports Talk posted a clip from Brown’s latest presser. When asked about whether Angeli will be coming back, the head coach sounded confident. Brown said, “He’s coming back…I think all the coaches do a really good job. I think I’m good at recruiting. I think I’m good at building relationships. Steve came to play for me, right? … The one thing I always tell (athletes) is assistant coaches can change but you came to Syracuse to play for me, correct?” Angeli tore his left Achilles tendon in the Orange’s 34-21 win over Clemson in September.

Brown’s quarterback went down without contact in the third quarter after he planted his left leg on a scramble and fell to the ground. But not even in their worst nightmare could Brown and co. imagine playing without Angeli for the rest of the season. By the time Syracuse pulled off its upset, Angeli was out of uniform, leaning on crutches with his left leg secured in a boot. Rickie Collins took over and wasted no time, tossing a touchdown to Justus Ross-Simmons on just his second play.

That’s how Brown’s quarterback’s 2025 season ended- 1,316 yards through the air, 10 touchdowns, and only two picks. But Brown and co. had high expectations from him. After all, he was the one who hit a career high, throwing for 417 yards and five touchdowns in Orange’s face-off against Colgate. That’s when Brown hoped for Angeli beating his predecessor, Kyle McCord’s records. 

As on September 12, a week before Angeli witnessed his dark fate, Christopher Smith tweeted, “Kyle McCord threw for 4,779 yards in 13 games. Steve Angeli has 1,107 in three games. If you want to throw the football a million times and lead the nation in passing yards, go play for Fran Brown at Syracuse.” Unfortunately, that chance never came. As the waiting game starts for Orange fans, Brown has now tapped into a damage control mode. For now, the head coach has hit the ‘revamp’ button for his coaching roster. 

Fran Brown reshuffles his staff as time runs thin

On November 3, Brown addressed the media, where he talked about the coaching changes. As Cuse Spots Talk shared a clip from the head coach’s latest presser reporting, “ WR coach Myles White is no longer on staff QB coach Nunizo Campanile will switch to TEs, Mike Johnson will coach QBs Josh Gattis will coach WRs.” Brown has wished Myles White all the best after holding the wide receivers coach/passing game coordinator for just one year in the Orange squad. 

Completing just four passes for 39 yards is the new low for Brown’s squad. Plus, they haven’t scored 20 points in a game since starting quarterback Angeli got sidelined. Thus, the head coach has assigned White’s duties to the quarterback coach, Josh Gattis. To Brown, he seems to be the right fit. After all, he has received the Broyles Award as the nation’s top assistant while gathering experience under the best, Jim Harbaugh at Michigan. 

“I think Coach White is no longer with our staff. Coach Campanile is definitely with our staff. Coach Campanile, to me, has done an amazing job throughout his career with coaching quarterbacks over the last few years. But he’s also coached tight ends at a high level also at another university and also here,” Brown justified his actions. While he has full faith in coach Nunzio Campanile, he returns to the tight ends coaching position. 

Michael Johnson will make way for him as he has been handed the tight ends coach role. The head coach is aware of his forte, as Campanile coached for that position for four years at Rutgers before spending the 2023 season coaching it at Syracuse under former coach Dino Babers. Only three games are left for the Orange squad this regular season. So, to Fran Brown, it’s the best time to take some risks. The Orange are banking on their latest coaching overhaul to stop the bleeding after five consecutive losses.