Fran Brown announces major Syracuse football defensive staff changes

The university released a statement Tuesday confirming Brown's first changes to his 2026 staff, including a move involving defensive coordinator Elijah Robinson.

Nov 20, 2021; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; A Syracuse Orange helmet rests on a warmer during the second half at the game between the Syracuse Orange and the North Carolina State Wolfpack at Carter-Finley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Howard-Imagn Images | William Howard-Imagn Images

One day after word first surfaced that Brown was ready to announce the first changes to his 2026 Syracuse football coaching staff, the school's athletic communications office officially announced the moves involving assistant coaches Ricky Brumfield, Joe Schaefer, Dale Williams, and Robert Wright, the quartet not being retained by Brown for his third season.

"I want to thank Ricky, Joe, Dale and Robert for their dedication to Syracuse University, our program and players," Brown said in the university release. "I wish them nothing but the best moving forward."

The biggest news, however, within the university's statement, although entirely unexpected, was that Brown has asked his longtime friend Robinson to relinquish the Defensive Coordinator position, to move away from play-calling, after a season in which the 'Cuse finished 125th out of 134 FBS teams in total defense.

The move allows Brown to find a new set of eyes on the field, and a new voice off of it, and he has to find a balance between time and the opportunities to speak with candidates on his short list who may happen to be on staffs of teams that will be either preparing for the CFP or bowl season.

A painful, but necessary, move in the long relationship between the two coaches

Robinson, who's relationship with Brown goes back to their days in Camden. N.J. then at Western Carolina and subsequently into college coaching, will still maintain a Co-Defensive Coordinator title, with whomever Brown ends up hiring to fill the critical scheme design, and play-calling role.

Ironically, shortly after he was hired at Syracuse in December 2023, when Brown lured his confidant Robinson from Texas A&M where he had just served a one month stint as the team's interim head coach, Brown cautioned a giddy Orange Nation that the program "would be lucky" to have Robinson stay for three seasons, before landing a head coaching job of his own.

Robinson will be at Syracuse for a third season in a role just as important, getting the currently 10 listed D-linemen on the roster (pre transfer portal) into a more productive unit, plus welcoming the expected five DL signees of the 2026 recruiting class in this week's (Wed-Fri) early signing period, and the transfer portal into SU.

"The results this season were not reflective of the high standards I have for our program," Brown said. in the school's statement.

"After carefully evaluating our entire organization, I made the difficult decision to seek new leadership for some units of our football team," Brown added. "These are the changes needed for our goals of competing for championships at Syracuse."

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