One day after making four coaching changes, Syracuse University football coach Fran Brown is making a fifth:

As noted by Cuse Sports Talk on social media, the Orange are transitioning Elijah Robinson from defensive coordinator to co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach.

This seems like too much change

I'll be honest, a lot of this will sound similar to what I said yesterday, but this seems like too much unnecessary change. 

The Orange went 10-3 in 2024 and won the Holiday Bowl against Washington State. Three of those four coaches impacted on Monday were on that staff. Robinson was as well.

As noted by the university, Syracuse had four players earn All-ACC honors on defense in 2024, and they had 10 players record an interception and 12 record a sack. 

Did Robinson all of a sudden forget how to coach defense in 2025, or were the Orange backed into such a corner offensively after the injury to quarterback Steve Angeli that the defense never really stood a chance?

I'm going to go with the latter, easily.

Why is Brown doing this?

As noted yesterday, it feels a little desperate. Is Brown feeling the heat on his coaching seat after a 3-9 campaign this season? Is he trying to do anything he can to save his job at the University? Is he trying to protect his potential job opportunities moving forward? It all seems possible, though we aren't sure what the real motivation is right now.

You can hear more of my thoughts in the video player above:

Also on campus

The Syracuse basketball teams returns home on Tuesday against No. 13 Tennessee. Tip-off time is 7 p.m. ET and the game will air nationally on ESPN2. The Orange are 4-3 after losing three straight games in the Players Era Championship. Tennessee went 2-1 in that same event and enters play at 7-1 overall.

You can read our preview and our keys to the game here.

The Syracuse women's hoop team is 6-1 on the young season, and they'll play in their own ACC-SEC challenge on Wednesday when they host Auburn at 5 p.m. ET.

After that? They'll begin ACC play on Sunday at SMU.

Related Syracuse Stories

WHY DID BROWN FIRE FOUR COACHES? Fran Brown fired four coaches after the Syracuse football team went 3-9, but did he need to? CLICK HERE:

THE QB SITUATION MOVING FORWARD: Fran Brown's recent comments on the state of the quarterback room echo what we've said all along. CLICK HERE: 

IS CRITICISM FAIR?: Adrian Autry has drawn criticism after three straight losses, but is it fair? CLICK HERE:

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