Syracuse to fire Dino Babers: Orange will part with coach after inconsistent eight-year run

Syracuse plans to fire coach Dino Babers after eight seasons with the program, according to 247Sports. Babers finished with a 41-55 record, including a 20-45 mark in ACC play, after an up-and-down tenure with the Orange. 

Tight ends coach Nunzio Campanile is expected to take over the head coaching role on an interim basis to finish out the year, according to ESPN. He previously served as the interim coach at Rutgers for eight games in 2019. 

Babers breathed new life into a struggling Syracuse program, leading the Orange to their first 10-win season in 17 years during the 2018 season, his third with the program. He was rewarded with a long-term extension with a hefty buyout that kept him at Syracuse for the last five years. 

Consistency during his tenure was a struggle, however. Two years after signing the extension, Syracuse went 1-10 during a miserable pandemic-shortened season, and the Orange missed three straight bowl games from 2019-21. Even during a resurgent 2022, Syracuse started 6-0 and reached No. 14 in the AP Top 25 before going on a five-game losing streak to finish just 7-6. Syracuse once again got off to a strong 4-0 start in 2023. However, the Orange once again collapsed, losing five straight games by a combined 150-34. 

Babers came to Syracuse from Bowling Green and Eastern Illinois as an offensive savant. He helped lead EIU to the FCS quarterfinals and a No. 4 national finish behind quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo before posting an 18-9 record at Bowling Green in two seasons. His first three offenses all ranked top 50 nationally, including a No. 19 finish at 464.8 yards per game during the 2018 season. Since then, no Syracuse offense has ranked even in the top 70. 

The opening comes at a critical time for the athletic department. Syracuse just replaced longtime basketball coach Jim Boeheim after more than 50 years with the program as an assistant and head coach. The Orange are also facing a new-look ACC as the league adds Stanford, California and SMU from well outside of the league’s footprint in 2024. The Orange travel to Cal as part of their 2024 schedule.