Pitt Rival Set to Hire New HC

The Pitt Panthers' natural rival in the ACC is closing in on a new head coach.

PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers are scheduled to play Syracuse every season from now until 2030 and the Orange hope they've found the head coach that will lead them into each of those games. 

According to multiple reports from college football insider Matt Fortuna and Bruce Feldman of The Athletic and FOX, Syracuse, who had beat Pitt just twice under the leadership of former head coach Dino Babers, is expected to hire Georgia defensive backs coach Fran Brown. 

Brown, just wrapping up his second year in his current position with the Bulldogs, helped them win the 2023 national championship behind a defense that ranked first nationally in rushing defense, fifth in scoring defense, second in red zone defense and ninth in total defense. Georgia ranks 12 in passing yards allowed per game and 15th in completion percentage allowed this season. 

Brown has previously worked at Rutgers as a defensive assistant, Temple as co-defensive coordinator and cornerbacks coach and Baylor as a defensive backs coach after a decorated playing career at Western Carolina. 

It took a little over a week after Syracuse fired Babers to find their new head coach. 

Babers went 44-51 over his nine seasons with the Orange. He made two bowl appearances and one the 2018 Camping World Bowl. Babers won more than five games just once and finished ranked in the final AP Poll just once in 2018. He owned a 2-7 record against Pitt, including a win just two weeks ago over the Panthers at Yankee Stadium.

With Babers on his way out, Pat Narduzzi is now the fourth-longest-tenured head coach in the ACC, trailing only Wake Forest's Dave Clawson, Clemson's Dabo Swinney and NC State's Dave Doeren. 

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