Fran Brown wins Bear Bryant Award for Newcomer Coach of the Year
Leonardo Eriman | Asst. Video Editor
Fran Brown has been named the Bear Bryant Award recipient for Newcomer Coach of the Year after leading Syracuse to a 10-win season in 2024.
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Syracuse head coach Fran Brown has won the Bear Bryant Award for the top Newcomer Coach of the Year after leading the Orange to a 10-win campaign in 2024. Brown is the award’s second-ever recipient, given out by the American Heart Association since last season, following Northwestern head coach David Braun.
Brown’s hiring in November 2023 sparked hope, and his execution in Year 1 of building a program at SU reaped historic rewards. The Orange returned to their northeast recruiting roots, with Brown being a Camden, New Jersey, native; defeated three AP Top 25 teams, won double-digit games for the third time in the 21st century, had 12 players named to All-Atlantic Coast Conference teams and won a bowl game for the first time since 2018.
The former 247Sports’ National Recruiter of the Year has established Syracuse as a place where players can maximize their potential. In 2025, Brown’s first true recruiting class, the Orange have a nation-leading 35 commitments. He’s also rescued multiple players from the transfer portal who went on to have their best collegiate seasons under his guidance.
Quarterback Kyle McCord, who finished top-10 in Heisman voting after breaking SU’s single-season passing records, edge rusher Fadil Diggs (career-high 7.5 sacks) and wide receiver Jackson Meeks (career-best 1,021 yards) all dominated in their lone seasons after transferring. Among others, those three helped set the standard for Brown’s tenure in 2024.
Brown tied Paul Pasqualoni in 1991 as the winningest first-year head coach in Syracuse history and helmed the Orange to their first AP Top 25 finish in six seasons. The highest point of Brown’s debut year came on Nov. 30, when SU stunned then-No. 6 Miami in a 42-38 win at the JMA Wireless Dome. It was Syracuse’s highest-ranked victory since 2017. Yet, as he rarely seems to be, Brown wasn’t satisfied.
“I wanted to win a national championship. I wanted to go to the conference championship,” Brown said after defeating the Hurricanes. “Those two things didn’t happen, but I guess it’s progress.”
Published on January 15, 2025 at 11:29 am
Contact Cooper at: ccandrew@syr.edu | @cooper_andrews
