Syracuse Orange football hires 2-time national champion as next defensive coordinator

Billy Heyen

Syracuse Orange football hires 2-time national champion as next defensive coordinator image

The Syracuse Orange football team decided it needed a new look on the defensive side of the ball.

And on Saturday, SU landed its new defensive coordinator.

The new hire is Vince Kehres, most recently the defensive coordinator at the University of Toledo in the MAC.

The news was reported by ESPN's Pete Thamel.

Kehres' most impressive line on his resume is that he was a two-time national champion head coach at Division III powerhouse Mount Union, also in Ohio.

Kehres was thought to potentially be the head-coach-in-waiting at Toledo. The Rockets just lost their current head coach, Jason Candle, to that same position at UConn on Saturday.

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But instead, Kehres decides to take a promotion up the defensive coordinator ladder instead and head to the ACC.

Syracuse just went 3-9, but a lot of that had to do with the early season-ending injury to star quarterback Steve Angeli. Angeli is expected to be back in 2026.

SU head coach Fran Brown will be entering his third season. He had a strong first campaign, then this injury-plagued 2025 was a bit rough on everyone.

With Kehres on board, the Orange will be hoping to take a step back forward when the 2026 season arrives.

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Staff Writer