Fran Brown has made it clear all season that he’s not afraid to make tough calls. But after watching his Syracuse offense completely bottom out against North Carolina on Friday night, the head coach decided it was time to actually do something about it. 

The Orange put up a pathetic 147 total yards against the Tar Heels. They got absolutely destroyed 27-10 in front of their home crowd at the Dome. For Brown, who’s been in constant communication with the media, defending players, and trying to keep the locker room together, this loss was apparently the final straw. 

Brown announced a full offensive staff overhaul that went deeper than most people initially realized. Myles White, the former Green Bay Packers assistant who’d been brought in to coordinate the passing game and coach wide receivers just this past February, is out. Gone. That’s a notable move because White came with a legitimate NFL pedigree and was supposed to be the guy who elevated Syracuse’s receiving corps and simplified the offense. 

Instead, he’s departing. And Nunzio Campanile, the Bergen Catholic legend and interim head coach from 2023 who’d been manning the QB room all season, is getting a demotion of sorts, transitioning to tight ends coach. It’s the wholesale changing of the staff that suggests Brown was acknowledging that the entire offensive infrastructure needed to be rebuilt.​

The moves represent Brown’s desperation to throw stuff on the wall and see what sticks. And after watching Joseph Filardi go 4-for-18 for 39 yards and zero touchdowns against UNC on Friday night, it’s hard to argue that the quarterback room needs a complete overhaul.​ 

The real intrigue here is in who’s filling these spots. Mike Johnson, who’s been serving as co-offensive coordinator and tight ends coach, is getting bumped up to full-time quarterback coach. That’s a significant promotion. Then there’s Josh Gattis, the former quality control guy who’s been hanging around the program as an “offensive specialist.” He’s now taking over wide receivers. Gattis has a serious college football pedigree with a Broyles Award on his resume, so he’s not some random staffer getting a chance. 

This isn’t a gradual evolution of the coaching staff. This is panic mode dressed up as a strategic adjustment. This whole mess started when Steve Angeli tore his Achilles during the win over Clemson back in Week 4. That game was supposed to announce Syracuse’s arrival as a real ACC contender. Instead, it announced the beginning of a nightmare. Rickie Collins stepped in after Angeli went down, and Brown defended him for a full month, trying to be supportive and give him time to develop. 

But results matter, and after going 3-1 with Angeli, Syracuse went 0-4 under Collins. And eventually, even a coach as loyal as Brown runs out of patience. “I can’t do that no more,” Brown said this week when explaining why he was finally opening things up. “I love Rickie, man. He’s a little brother to me, but he had a month straight of me sticking by him and doing everything the right way and being more supportive of him.” By Friday night against UNC, it was time to try something different.​

The Collins experiment had to end, which is why Filardi got his shot against North Carolina. The walk-on went 4-for-18 for 39 yards and looked completely overmatched, which tells you everything you need to know about Syracuse’s quarterback situation. Nobody’s working. The offense is broken. And Brown, bless him, has spent the last month publicly taking blame, telling his coaching staff that “everything that happens bad is on Coach Fran,” admitting that maybe they should have “catered to” Collins more. 

But even the most patient coach eventually realizes you can’t fix a quarterback problem with inspirational speeches and loyalty. Sometimes you need to make a change to the people in charge of developing quarterbacks. Hence, changes are being made.

From staff changes to major moves

The interesting thing about Fran Brown is that he’s at a crossroads. Just a year ago, the guy was winning Coach of the Year awards after an incredible 10-win inaugural season at Syracuse. He was the nation’s top recruiter, and he was rebuilding a sleeping giant in the ACC. 

But fast forward to November 2025, and he’s firing assistants, reshuffling his offensive coaching staff mid-season, and trying to stop a 3-6 season from becoming an absolute catastrophe. But sources suggest that he might be reshuffling his role, too. Auburn, which just imploded under Hugh Freeze with a 6-16 SEC record, suddenly looks like it could be an attractive opportunity for Fran Brown, as reported by Brandon Walker.

Auburn’s got the money, the facilities, and most importantly, a blank slate to build something. For Fran Brown, jumping to Auburn could be the reset he needs. Sure, he just signed on at Syracuse, and leaving after two seasons would be the definition of bailing during tough times. But in today’s college football world, loyalty is almost a luxury coaches can’t afford anymore.

If Brandon Walker’s prediction that Fran Brown lands at Auburn turns out to be true, it wouldn’t be a shocking move at all. It would just be another chapter in the chaotic coaching carousel where a talented guy follows the program with actual staying power.