Syracuse has hired Georgia assistant Fran Brown to be its new head football coach, the school announced Tuesday.

The 40-year-old Brown has been defensive backs coach the last two seasons with the Bulldogs, who are 27-0 during that time. A former cornerback with the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals, he has also been an assistant at Temple, Baylor and Rutgers.

“I am incredibly proud to be leading Syracuse football at a university with a rich and storied tradition of academic and athletic excellence,” Brown said. “Syracuse football has outstanding talent, great facilities and passionate alumni. The success of the players is my No. 1 priority—on and off the field. I want my guys to succeed in life, because they played football at Syracuse.

“My immediate area of focus is building relationships with my current players and putting together an elite staff, while also having fun on the recruiting trail. I’m ready to get to work and look forward to building something special for our fans.”

Brown replaces Dino Babers, who was fired Nov. 19 after eight seasons. The Orange are 6-6 this season, and are eligible to play in a bowl game.

Regarded as a top recruiter, Brown is expected to remain with Georgia at least through Saturday’s SEC championship game against Alabama. Nunzio Campanile has served as Syracuse’s interim coach since Babers was fired.

“Fran is an outstanding coach, recruiter and person, and exactly who we need to take Syracuse football to the next level,” Syracuse athletics director John Wildhack said. “Fran has clearly articulated a vision for the future of our football program, and he is a powerhouse recruiter with deep ties to the geographies from where we need to draw consistently.

“Fran has had tremendous success recruiting to a variety of programs — in the South, Southwest and Northeast, and I have no doubt he will bring that track record here to Syracuse. I am looking forward to welcoming Fran and his family to the Orange community. The future is bright for our football program.”

Brown being hired at Syracuse leaves Oregon State, Duke, Houston and Indiana as Power 5 coaching openings. Northwestern, Michigan State, Texas A&M and Mississippi State have already filled their vacancies.