Fran Brown: Keeping the Best Home
Jul 23 | Football
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Before Fran Brown was hired to coach the secondary at Rutgers, one of his main responsibilities was to make sure New Jersey's top talent signed elsewhere. The Camden native was successful in getting some of the Garden State's best to join him during previous stints at Baylor (2017-18) and Temple (2011-16, 2019).
That is one of the reasons head coach Greg Schiano made it a priority to get him "On the Banks," as Brown was the first defensive assistant to join Schiano's staff on Dec. 7, 2019 – just four days after Schiano's return to the Scarlet Knights was made official.
"Once he got the job, I was just itching for that call," Brown said. "It happened and it all worked itself out."
News of Brown's arrival at RU reverberated throughout the state, though the cheers were the loudest from South Jersey. Brown was a standout at his hometown Camden High School, where he was a three-time all-conference quarterback and set the school record with 47 touchdown passes.
Brown has cultivated plenty of meaningful relationships with the region's coaches throughout the years, which has allowed him to land some of the best recruits the state has to offer. Although appreciative of the support, he is also quick to point out the southern portion of the Garden State's true nickname.
"We don't call it 'South Jersey,' we call it 'South Rutgers,'" Brown said. "I've heard from every coach down there, even if we did not know one another. I've also heard from everyone in 'North Rutgers' and from throughout the state. Everyone is just really excited about it."
Named one of the top recruiters in the American Athletic Conference by Rivals.com in 2014 while at Temple, Brown was instrumental getting individuals to cross state lines and play for the Owls. Under his tutelage, a number of Brown's former players at Temple would go on to realize their dreams, first playing college football and eventually signing NFL contracts.
Brown gets a lot of attention for his familiarity with 'South Rutgers,' but he feels comfortable stepping into living rooms anywhere across the country if that means getting players that fit into the program's culture.
"I'll go anywhere and recruit," Brown said. "[I'm successful] because of the relationships I'm able to build. It's just me being genuine and me understanding who you are as a person. A lot of people don't tell kids the truth all of the time, but I'm comfortable in telling them what they might not want to hear."
His ability to be upfront with those around him has also helped him to become and effective coach on the field. As the co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach at Temple last season, Brown guided a defensive unit that ranked nationally in red zone defense (fourth), sacks (10th), defensive touchdowns (11th), tackles-for-loss (12th) and fumbles recovered (13th).
Now responsible for RU's secondary, Brown inherits a unit with plenty of talent. Junior Avery Young returns with two years of starting experience at cornerback and totaled 37 tackles, five pass breakups and one interception in 2019. Sophomore Christian Izien, who led the secondary last fall with 72 stops, also returns, as does senior Tre Avery, who registered an interception in the Scarlet Knights' 2019 finale at Penn State.
Brown's success at both mentoring young student-athletes and building relationships with the best talent in the area bodes well for a program looking to reclaim its place as a source of pride for the home state and compete with the best in the Big Ten Conference.
For Brown, he is ready to just get back on the field to work with his new team, as well as use his connections to keep the state's finest from playing anywhere but at The State University of New Jersey.
"It's an honor to represent Rutgers University and work with the secondary," Brown said. I'm excited about it and cannot wait to start."
That is one of the reasons head coach Greg Schiano made it a priority to get him "On the Banks," as Brown was the first defensive assistant to join Schiano's staff on Dec. 7, 2019 – just four days after Schiano's return to the Scarlet Knights was made official.
"Once he got the job, I was just itching for that call," Brown said. "It happened and it all worked itself out."
News of Brown's arrival at RU reverberated throughout the state, though the cheers were the loudest from South Jersey. Brown was a standout at his hometown Camden High School, where he was a three-time all-conference quarterback and set the school record with 47 touchdown passes.
Brown has cultivated plenty of meaningful relationships with the region's coaches throughout the years, which has allowed him to land some of the best recruits the state has to offer. Although appreciative of the support, he is also quick to point out the southern portion of the Garden State's true nickname.
"We don't call it 'South Jersey,' we call it 'South Rutgers,'" Brown said. "I've heard from every coach down there, even if we did not know one another. I've also heard from everyone in 'North Rutgers' and from throughout the state. Everyone is just really excited about it."
Named one of the top recruiters in the American Athletic Conference by Rivals.com in 2014 while at Temple, Brown was instrumental getting individuals to cross state lines and play for the Owls. Under his tutelage, a number of Brown's former players at Temple would go on to realize their dreams, first playing college football and eventually signing NFL contracts.
Brown gets a lot of attention for his familiarity with 'South Rutgers,' but he feels comfortable stepping into living rooms anywhere across the country if that means getting players that fit into the program's culture.
"I'll go anywhere and recruit," Brown said. "[I'm successful] because of the relationships I'm able to build. It's just me being genuine and me understanding who you are as a person. A lot of people don't tell kids the truth all of the time, but I'm comfortable in telling them what they might not want to hear."
His ability to be upfront with those around him has also helped him to become and effective coach on the field. As the co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach at Temple last season, Brown guided a defensive unit that ranked nationally in red zone defense (fourth), sacks (10th), defensive touchdowns (11th), tackles-for-loss (12th) and fumbles recovered (13th).
Now responsible for RU's secondary, Brown inherits a unit with plenty of talent. Junior Avery Young returns with two years of starting experience at cornerback and totaled 37 tackles, five pass breakups and one interception in 2019. Sophomore Christian Izien, who led the secondary last fall with 72 stops, also returns, as does senior Tre Avery, who registered an interception in the Scarlet Knights' 2019 finale at Penn State.
Brown's success at both mentoring young student-athletes and building relationships with the best talent in the area bodes well for a program looking to reclaim its place as a source of pride for the home state and compete with the best in the Big Ten Conference.
For Brown, he is ready to just get back on the field to work with his new team, as well as use his connections to keep the state's finest from playing anywhere but at The State University of New Jersey.
"It's an honor to represent Rutgers University and work with the secondary," Brown said. I'm excited about it and cannot wait to start."
- July 15: Augie Hoffmann: Making the Move to Rutgers
- June 26: Andrew Aurich: Building the Offensive Line
- June 16: Adam Scheier: Smart and Aggressive Special Teams
- June 8: Sean Gleeson: Fast, Physical, The Ball
- May 26: Robb Smith: Stop the Run, Eliminate Big Plays, Create Takeaways
Players Mentioned
Head Coach Greg Schiano Spring Press Conference - 04/11/26
Saturday, April 11
Linebackers Coach Elijah Hodge - 04/09/26
Thursday, April 09
Special Teams Coordinator Eddie Allen - 04/09/26
Thursday, April 09
Rush Ends Coach Joe Woodley - 04/07/26
Tuesday, April 07
