Syracuse football reportedly hires new defensive coordinator, offensive line coach

Syracuse has started to fill holes on its coaching staff.

Less than a week after head coach Fran Brown announced the demotion of defensive coordinator Elijah Robinson and the dismissal of offensive line coach Dale Williams and linebackers coach Robert Wright, he wasted no time finding their replacements.

Toledo defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Vince Kehres will fill those same positions at SU, while Syracuse is hiring Michigan analyst Juan Castillo away to be the new OL coach, according to ESPN's Pete Thamel.

Syracuse still has several roles to fill

The Orange still have open positions at special teams coordinator and defensive backs coach.

Monday’s announcements from Brown included the dismissals of coaches Joe Schaefer and Ricky Brumfield.

In November, Brown had announced that wide receivers coach Myles White was no longer with Syracuse and would be replaced by Josh Gattis. He also shifted Nunzio Campanile to tight ends coach, and Michael Johnson to quarterbacks coach.

Multiple reports state that Robinson may be moving over to LSU’s new staff as defensive line coach, but nothing has been officially announced.

The coaching changes came after Syracuse finished a disappointing 3-9 in the 2025 season in Brown’s second year as head coach.

The Orange is coming off a historic early signing period, where Syracuse finished with the No. 30 class in the country, the highest SU has ever ranked in modern day recruiting rankings.

The Vince Kehres file

Kehres' defenses have consistently ranked among the nation’s best across multiple categories, including a top-three total defense in 2025, and he has developed numerous All-MAC players and future NFL draft picks during his six seasons with the Rockets.

Prior to Toledo, he spent seven years as head coach at Division III powerhouse Mount Union, compiling an impressive 95–6 record and winning two national championships.

Kehres was with Mount Union for 21 total years, and during his head coaching stint, had more wins than any college coach at any level.

He was also being considered for the Nebraska defensive coordinator position before landing at Syracuse.

The Juan Castillo file

Castillo, 66, has been around coaching since the early 80s.

Stops for Castillo included various positions in the NFL, including the Philadelphia Eagles, the Baltimore Ravens, the Chicago Bears, the Washington Commanders and the Buffalo Bills.

He also has plenty of college experience, including stops with Texas A&M-Kingsville, UCLA and, most recently, Michigan.

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