Fran Brown assesses Syracuse Football progress after practice 11

Syracuse wrapped up its 11th practice of fall camp on Monday as the Orange continued preparing for its season opener against New Hampshire.

As the season approaches, Syracuse continues to build around the expectations and culture established by coach Fran Brown.

After practice, Brown and defensive backs coach Perry Eliano discussed the expectations surrounding the Orange and the importance of building trust throughout the program.

Fran Brown's Expectations

Heading into the season, Brown believes Syracuse still has plenty of work to do as the team continues to come together throughout fall camp.

“I just think the team is doing a good job and just trying to gel together,” Brown said. “We've got a long way to go; we still have three weeks until we get a chance to play a game.”

Brown has continued to challenge his players during practice, putting them in difficult situations to see how they respond.

“The team is doing well; we practice hard, and I try to put them in adversity situations,” Brown said. “Sometimes we respond better than other times.”

While Brown continues to evaluate his players, he has also noticed the work his coaching staff is doing.

“I think the coaches are doing a really good job of being there for each other,” Brown said. “The position coaches really got the coordinators back."

Special teams has been another area where Brown has seen the coaching staff come together.

“Where they're exceeding things would be on special teams, where all the coaches can focus on that team part; that's where I see us take that jump,” Brown said.

For Brown, building a winning team starts from the top down, and coaches willing to work together are an important part of setting those expectations.

Coaching High-Level Talent

Defensive backs coach Perry Eliano has worked with high-level talent throughout his coaching career, including Sauce Gardner, Coby Bryant and Ronnie Hickman.

Now, Eliano is working with two-way sophomore Demetres Samuel Jr., one of Syracuse's most intriguing young players. For Eliano, coaching talented players isn't simply about telling them what to do. It starts with developing a relationship built on trust.

“The old adage, ‘Just do what I say,’ I think is important with today's athlete; that relationship part is real, it's strong, the foundation is right,” Eliano said.

That foundation allows Eliano and the rest of Syracuse's coaching staff to push players while maintaining their trust.

“Once you start with that, it's how you build trust, and from there I think our guys have done a great job as a staff,” Eliano said.

For Eliano, that trust also creates confidence in what Syracuse's coaches are asking their players to do.

“The guys that we coach, I think there's phenomenal trust, unwavering belief in what we're teaching,” Eliano said. “Everything we're asking them to do, they know it's nothing but to help them and ultimately help us as a football team collectively.”

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