Syracuse Orange college football fans might be in a merry-making mood. The reason? Their head coach, Fran Brown, has been named the Paul “Bear” Bryant National Coach of the Week, following SU’s 34-21 win at Clemson. This came at a time when Brown’s program is cruising through, winning three straight games, and is gearing up to face off against Duke. But looks like, besides these factors, one crucial factor makes Brown let out a big sigh of relief. As per the latest injury reports, Syracuse’s four starters got an upgrade. From “questionable” to “probable.” The ones in which Brown can see a silver lining are OL Trevion Mack, DB Devin Grant, DL Dion Wilson Jr., and WR Johntay Cook II.  

The only player who missed the bus is defensive back Duce Chestnut. On September 26, Pete Thamel came with an injury report. Brown’s squad had a total of 19 players on the September 25 injury report. The updated list that Thamel came up with on September 26 has 17 players on the list.  

The opening match for Brown’s Syracuse this season ended with heartbreak. They took a loss from Tennessee, as well as witnessed their receiver Cook leaving the game with an injury. He looked like Brown’s most dangerous weapon on offense and had five catches for 59 yards and a touchdown in the first half against the Volunteers. But as soon as the second half rolled, the muscles in one of his legs started to tighten up, leaving Brown and co. in distress. The last injury report tweeted by Aiden Stepansky showed Cook in the “questionable” list.

Brown confirmed that Mack injured his right foot in practice at the end of August. “We said let’s give him some time to rest it,” the head coach said. “That way, when we start to hit conference and things of that nature — not saying this game wasn’t important. It’s extremely important. But everyone remembers November. I want to make sure we’ve got depth when November comes.”

The season has not been smooth for Grant. Thanks to his compounding injuries. Fresh off a torn MCL that cost him the Holiday Bowl, Grant fought through the flu and dehydration against Tennessee, only to tweak his ankle and miss Syracuse’s home games versus UConn and Colgate. Looks like Brown’s defensive back is recovering at a satisfactory rate.

Wilson Jr., aka ‘Tank,’ aimed to shine in his first season with Brown in 2024, only to be sidelined by a surprise appendectomy. So, those the Syracuse head coach once observed from afar are now ready to make their mark on the gridiron. If that’s not enough of a motivational boost, here comes some more for Brown’s squad. 

Trust remains in Fran Brown’s squad even though they hit the speedbreaker of the season

Orange got hit with the greatest speedbreaker of the season. Brown’s quarterback, Steve Angeli, will miss the rest of the 2025 season with a torn Achilles. But does that mean Syracuse is slipping away in the trusted list of his loyals? No way. For instance, Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger still cast his vote in Brown’s squad’s favor against Duke. The reason? “Because of Fran Brown and trust in those South Louisiana boys,” said the analyst.

No brownie points for guessing. It’s the trust in Brown’s backup quarterback, Rickie Collins. Dellenger noted, “Rickie Collins, backup quarterback, East Baton Rouge Parish, highly rated guy. Came out of Louisiana a couple of years ago. First start. I know it’s a little shaky, but I’m trusting in him to get it done against the Blue Devils or at least keep them within five and a half points.” Well, that’s true. 

After all, Brown had first counted on Collins to pass on the QB1 baton, only to name Angeli as the starter later. So, it’s obvious that Collins has already taken the head coach into confidence. “The more I watch Fran Brown, the more impressed I get. I think this is a guy who just gets it. He’s going to be a really great coach for a long time,” dropped some more praise for Brown.

Well, a narrative is already trending that if the ultra-hot Fran Brown keeps winning, his days at Syracuse may be numbered. Here came a stamp of approval from the national championship-winning coach, Urban Meyer. He then chose to run some PR campaigns for Brown. On The Triple Opinion podcast, Meyer said, “He’s rugged. He’s tough. He says some things that you’re like, damn, he really said that, and he, you know, wind sprints after it. He’s doing his own little thing, but his thing’s working.” Though Brown’s move is on the horizon, the immediate hope is that the injury bug will finally ease up.