Syracuse University football first made an impression on Fran Brown as a high schooler.

Brown said Monday, in his introductory press conference as SU coach, that he and many other youth football players from Camden, N.J., were on hand in early fall 1997 to watch the Orange shut down eventual Heisman Trophy winner Ron Dayne and Wisconsin at Giants Stadium.

"That's my vision of Syracuse," Brown said. "That's what I saw. That's what I want."

Brown highlighted SU's recent history frequently in his press conference, mentioning former SU head coach Paul Pasqualoni and longtime SU assistant George DeLeone in particular.

"I'm looking for that Pasqualoni/DeLeone era," he said. "We're gonna run the ball; we're gonna play good defense; we're gonna stop the run."

Brown, 41, joins the Orange after two seasons as defensive backs coach at Georgia, where he helped the Bulldogs win the 2022 national championship. He joins the SU program after the November firing of Dino Babers after eight seasons as head coach.

Brown won't be with Georgia, which lost to Alabama in the SEC championship game Saturday, when it plays unbeaten ACC champ Florida State in the Orange Bowl on Dec. 30.

Athletic Director John Wildhack said Brown was brought in after a "very, very thorough" hiring process. Financial terms of his contract were not disclosed.

"Coach Brown emerged as the right person, at this time, to lead our football program," Wildhack said. "His vision matched his passion and his commitment."

Brown was lauded for his recruiting prowess at Georgia and Rutgers before that; a 247Sports.com analysis recently ranked him as the No. 1 recruiter so far in the 2024 cycle. He said he's been able to be a successful recruiter through personal relationships with players, and won't change his approach in his first Power 5 conference head coaching job — nor will he downplay the importance of Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) rights in the recruiting process.

"I wasn’t recruiting just with my looks at Georgia, so I understand NIL," Brown joked. "We understand the caliber of player we want. We have some alumni that are great and want to be involved. … Everybody’s different. I can’t tell you what each guy is gonna get, but we are ready for NIL and we’re ready to compete."

The new coach says he's hitting the ground running at SU, including hitting the recruiting trail Monday night before returning to campus Wednesday. He plans to watch SU practices for the Dec. 21 Boca Raton Bowl against South Florida, and noted that he's "deep into" the process of filling out a coaching staff. Brown did confirm multiple media reports that SU has added Texas A&M defensive line coach/interim head coach Elijah Robinson to the staff as defensive coordinator.

SU Chancellor Kent Syverud said that, when he spoke with Brown last week, he felt the new coach's commitment to winning on and off the field.

"I went into the conversation knowing he’s an outstanding coach … and a respected leader. What I really wanted to know about was his relationships and his attitudes toward students," Syverud said.

Brown asked for support from both SU fans and alumni, saying it goes beyond donations for the latter group.

"I don’t need your money; I need your presence," he said.