Fran Brown Says He Isn't Trying to Be Like Georgia's Kirby Smart at Syracuse

Syracuse head coach Fran Brown says he isn't trying to be like Georgia head coach Kirby Smart.

ACC Media Days are taking place this week and Syracuse head coach Fran Brown recently took the podium. The former Georgia defensive backs coach wasn't in Athens long before he accepeted the job at Syracuse and he is coming off a very successful first season with the Orange.

Brown has been around some big names in the coaching world during his climb to his first head coaching gig. One of which was Georgia head coach Kirby Smart. Brown talked about all of the things he has learned from some of the head coaches he got to work with.

“I think I took a little bit from everybody,” Fran Brown said. “The detail. I think working with Greg Schiano, he was a stifler when it comes to details. Kirby Smart, every day is important. He didn’t look forward. Never looked, don’t worry about anything else. We were playing UT Martin, and it was like we were about to play in the national championship.”

While Brown has learned some valuable lessons from a multitude of notable coaches across the league, he emphasized that he is not trying to be like Coach Smart at Syracuse. Not because he doesn't want to but because he can only be himself.

“But, the number one thing, I just be myself. Because I see so many people leave from a program that’s prestigious,” Brown said. “And did as well as Kirby Smart did, and they try to go there and be Kirby. I never will be able to be him. I can only be myself, but I can implement some of the things he did. The models and things of that nature. God’s blessed me with the ability to love myself. So, I’m just going to be myself, and I have confidence because I’m humble enough to know that he’s given me this chance and this opportunity and the talent, but I walk with a little sense of confidence because I’m gonna put that work in every day. I’ll make sure I do that.”

Brown managed to land the head coaching job at Syracuse without ever needing to posses a defensive coordinator role at any program outside of on year at Temple when he was the co-defensive coordinator in 2019 for one season. A bit of an anomaly in this sport but if year one is any sing of what is to come for his career, he's on the precipice of a very respectful career.