After years of struggling to find consistency, Syracuse football is finally in a good place. It feels like the Orange are finally turning a corner with a 10-win season, including a Holiday Bowl victory in Year 1 under head coach Fran Brown. Many called it a fluke, but it was actually a statement. A statement not just to the ACC, but to the entire college football world. However, early success brings new questions. Can Syracuse keep this going?

Brown has not just proven that he can win; he’s completely changed a locker room’s identity in just one season. Indeed, the fans would like to see him continue as the program’s head coach in the upcoming season as well. But the question is, how long is he staying? Because of the kind of coaching skills he’s shown in the previous season, it won’t be surprising if he gets better offers from even better programs than the Orange.

And, that’s exactly what Steven Infanti asked the Syracuse AD, John Wildhack, on the June 30 segment at Orange Nation. “If there’s another successful year, at what point do you start thinking about extending him [Fran Brown]?” Steve asked. While bringing up the elephant in the room, he didn’t mince his words with a follow-up punch. “Can you settle down the fan base a little bit… will Syracuse do what it takes to pay coaches so this doesn’t become like a stepping stone job for the football program?”

However, Wildhack’s answer didn’t give fans the assurance they were hoping for. “We continue to strategically invest in the program and the off-season,” he replied. “And we did that, you know, in this off-season. You what? What we need is we need our fans to pack the Dome. We need to win a whole bunch of games. Then we’ll be really good position.”

The response was more of a deflection than direction. Wildhack indirectly avoided addressing the head coach’s future in the program or whether they would even fight to keep him for a longer run. These kinds of responses often leave people wondering if the program is even serious about playing in the big leagues or if they want to just settle for short-term success.

Brown already brought a lot to the table in the previous season, and who knows if he might bring even more in the coming season. In sports, assurance and commitment play a crucial role in everyone’s career, whether it’s an athlete or a coach. And given the kind of setbacks Brown has seen in his career, there’s no doubt that he deserves every bit of success at Syracuse…

A job once denied, a program now thriving under Fran Brown

For those who don’t know, before Fran Brown arrived at Syracuse to call plays on the sidelines, his coaching journey was full of rejections, setbacks, and doubts. One of the painful rejections came at Temple, the program he once called home. On the June 13 episode of Adam Breneman’s podcast, Brown opened up and talked his heart out.

Revealing one of the lowest moments in his coaching journey, Brown said. “Temple didn’t want to give me a job. They said I wasn’t a good enough coach. I didn’t have enough good experience. And they went with someone else who didn’t have experience as a coach instead of me, and that hurt. Like I cried when I didn’t get the job.”

All those struggles and rejections are now paying off for him. Syracuse gave him a shot in 2024, and he grabbed the opportunity with both hands. He put his everything into the team last season, and even for the 2025 class, the kind of effort he showed in landing quality recruits speaks volumes about his dedication. But, it remains to be seen if the Orange are ready to give him the same level of commitment in return.