Syracuse head coach Fran Brown reveals biggest takeaway from working under Georgia's Kirby Smart he'll never forget

"Every day counts. [Kirby] Smart treated every day like that was the most important day and don't look forward to nothing else," Brown said. "I don't know a practice that he didn't take seriously. I couldn't stop hearing my name on the microphone. He's on the microphone, "Fran, what the f*** are they doing?" That's all you heard all day. I went in there knowing because he would tell me, "I don't need you to be soft if I'm coming at you." I'm like, coach, I don't care what you say to me. Cause he coaches the coaches hard, and he's intense about it, and he coaches you hard to see how much your players want to play for you. You're just held accountable all the time."

Brown spent two seasons (2022–2023) as Georgia’s defensive backs coach, playing a key role in the Bulldogs’ 2022 national championship run and helping lead one of the nation’s top defenses. He earned widespread praise for his development of talent in the secondary and was named 247Sports’ National Recruiter of the Year for helping secure Georgia’s No. 1-ranked 2024 recruiting class. His time in Athens boosted his reputation as one of college football’s rising coaching stars, and in November of 2023, he took the head coaching job at Syracuse. 

In his Brown’s first year at the helm, he led the Orange to a 10–3 season finish, their best record since 2018, securing the Holiday Bowl, and ending the year ranked in the Top 25.