The Steve Spurrier First-Year Coach Award is based on regular-season results

Syracuse's Fran Brown earns Steve Spurrier First Year Coach Award

Syracuse head coach Fran Brown inherited an Orange program coming off a losing season only to turn Syracuse to a 10-win season, a record-setting bowl victory at last month’s DIRECTV Holiday Bowl

Brown is Syracuse’s first coaching honoree from the FWAA since 1987 when Dick MacPherson won the Eddie Robinson Award as the National Coach of the Year.

In his first head coaching position at the college level, Brown became the second first-year head coach in Syracuse history to record at least nine regular-seasons wins.

Brown has been a defensive coach at every stop in his collegiate career. With the help of Kyle McCord who transfered from Ohio State to join Brown at Syracuse, McCord's led offense scored at least 30 points in nine of 12 games all while pacing the FBS in passing with 4,326 yards during the regular season.

Syracuse established single-season record along with program records for total offense (4,714 yards), completions (391), passing yards per game (367.6), attempts (592) and touchdowns responsible for (37).

Brown placed 12 Orangemen on the All-Atlantic Coast Conference teams, the program’s most since joining the conference in 2013.

The Steve Spurrier First-Year Coach Award is based on regular-season results as Syracuse and Brown finished tied for fourth in the ACC with a 5-3 record in a conference. Syracuse ranked 21st in the final CFP rankings, 22nd in the AP Top 25, 25th in the AFCA Coaches Poll heading into bowl season..

Brown is the second Orangemen head coach in the modern era (post-World War II) to gain 10 wins in his first season as head coach joining Paul Pasqualoni's mark in 1991. .

Brown came to Syracuse following two seasons as Georgia’s defensive backs coach and a staff member of the 2022 undefeated national title team. Georgia finished that season listing among the FBS leaders in rushing defense, scoring defense, red zone defense and total defense. One of the Bulldogs’ FWAA First Team All-Americans was safety Malaki Starks from Brown's secondary, and Georgia's defense also had finalists for the FWAA’s Bronko Nagurski Trophy as well as the Butkus Award and the Rotary Lombardi Award.