As quickly as ACC Media Day came, it went, and now the season is on the radar. Head coach Fran Brown and his players arrived in Charlotte, representing Syracuse Football with class, conveying the team’s message and vision. Here is everything from ACC Media Day that stood out for the Orange.
Syracuse Media Day Recap
Coach’s Vision
Since day one, Brown has implemented a plan and a clear message. This message is what he calls “DART,” detailed, accountable, relentless, and tough. This message has stuck with his players as they live by this. Tight end Dan Villari, who attended Media Day, spoke on Brown’s culture and living up to “DART.” “Fran’s culture is toughness and physicality. At practice, we hit a lot, all the way to Thursday during the season. Practice is very intense and very physical. If you don’t bring it, you’ll be exposed in front of the whole team,” Villari said.
Speaking on how competitive the players are and how they have to show up to compete, Brown said, “Everybody’s competing to play at every single position. We have guys that can compete to play, so if you decide not to compete that day, you might not be in the position you’re in that day or the next day.”
Brown also commented on “DART” after being asked how much it sticks with the players after college and off the field. “Core values mean everything to us. DART is how we want to live throughout our life. This isn’t just what we say, so everyone can like it and do it. It’s how you want to live.” He added,“It’s not just a saying, it’s a way of life.”
In just one year, his message has made waves with future commits.
Recruiting Anywhere
Brown, being a New Jersey native, has recruited successfully out of his home state. He made a big signing this offseason when he signed five-star Calvin Russell from Florida. Brown talked about how important it is to recruit the Sunshine State. “Getting players from Florida was big. If you’re not recruiting Florida, you’re not recruiting. It’s the mecca of football. So I just want to make sure my footprint is always there,” he said. On top of recruiting out of Florida, Brown commented on how comfortable he is recruiting anywhere. “I’m comfortable wherever I go. You send me to Hong Kong, I’m going to come back with somebody.” Brown and Aaron Mannicci, the director of scouting, have clearly upgraded the recruiting efforts and results for the Orange.
Lastly, on recruiting, Brown mentioned all the elements of recruiting a player, not just looking at their stats, potential, and NFL aspirations, but also their character and ability to succeed outside of football. “You’ve got to want to be successful in the classroom. You’ve got to want to be successful in the community. There’s just so many things you’ve got to be able to recruit.”
Development on a Promising Tight End
One of many second-year players on Brown’s roster, Jamie Tremble spoke at Media Day. With Oronde Gadsden II in the pros, Tremble becomes the future. Brown spoke on how Tremble has done everything right. “Jamie is doing a helluva job. He’s working his butt off.” Hearing about how well Tremble and Villari have been working together to replace Gadsden should give Syracuse fans confidence in the tight end room. “Any time you see guys working at practice, you’ll catch Dan and him (Jamie) together. They’re doing a really good job together to go on and replace him (Oronde).”
The QB Battle
The biggest news was on the quarterback battle between Rickie Collins and Steve Angeli. Brown focused heavily on how important it is to bring champions into the program. In the case of Collins, Brown brought him to Media Day, showing his confidence in the former LSU quarterback. As for Angeli, Brown focused on his performance against Penn State in last season’s Orange Bowl. “To have a guy just be able to come in with so much poise, so much leadership, seeing the team be behind him, him being able to take them down the field and score, I felt like that led to that spark that they needed.” This quarterback battle has a long way to go. “For us, it’s competitive all over, though, right? No one’s safe for us,” Brown said.
Going Forward
Just about five weeks away from kickoff, and the season finally feels like it’s here. Kicking off the season against Tennessee on August 30th, Brown talked about how special an opportunity it is for his program. “Tennessee is a good program, they have a good team, they play in the playoffs. We get a chance to go out and compete against them, we want to make sure how we’re supposed to look when you play against a team of that caliber.”
He talked about the level of respect he has for Tennessee coach Josh Heupel and how he is getting himself and the team mentally prepared for kickoff. “I think Coach Heupel is one of the best coaches in college football. His offense does an amazing job. His defense is rolling.” He added, “We’re locked on the day so we can be ready for that big stage. It’s a big venue, so we’ve got to make sure we’re ready when the time comes.”
Stay tuned for more news on Syracuse Football, including future interviews and the full season preview.
Main Image: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
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