More coaching changes are coming to the Syracuse Orange. According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, tight ends coach Nunzio Campanile is set to be hired by UConn as its new offensive coordinator. Thamel also reported that Syracuse is hiring Perry Eliano as its new defensive backs coach.
Campanile joined the Orange in 2023 as its tight ends coach. He served as Syracuse’s interim head coach for the final regular season game of 2023 and the Orange’s bowl game against USF after Dino Babers was fired. Fran Brown
retained Campanile on his staff as his quarterbacks coach. Midway through the 2025 season, Campanile switched back to Syracuse’s tight ends coach.
Campanile served as an offensive coordinator previously at Don Bosco Prep in New Jersey. He also served as an offensive coordinator on an interim basis with Rutgers on two occasions. Campanile’s New Jersey connections were critical in Syracuse’s northeast recruiting efforts. Steve Angeli was coached by Campanile’s brother, Vito, in high school.
Campanile joins a UConn program in a coaching transition after Jim Mora left for Colorado State’s head coaching job. The Huskies hired Toledo head coach Jason Candle as its new head coach. Syracuse hired Candle’s defensive coordinator at Toledo, Vince Kehres, as its defensive coordinator.
Syracuse also reportedly hired Perry Eliano, according to Thamel, as its defensive backs coach. Eliano was previously at Toledo with Kehres and Candle as its cornerbacks coach. Eliano’s coaching resume includes a spot at Ohio State as its safeties coach and as Bowling Green’s defensive coordinator. Most notably, Eliano was a cornerbacks coach with Cincinnati while Sauce Gardner was in college.
With the recent Syracuse coaching moves, Syracuse still has two assistant coaching positions to fill. In addition to the official hires of Kehres as defensive coordinator and Juan Castillo as offensive line coach, the Orange still have offensive coordinator/running backs coach Jeff Nixion, co-offensive coordinator/quarterbacks Michael Johnson Sr. and wide receivers coach Josh Gattis. The Orange have also reportedly hired John Scott Jr. as assistant head coach/defensive line coach and Jeremy Hawkins as defensive edge coach. That would leave Syracuse to hire a tight ends coach to replace Campanile and a special teams coordinator to replace Ricky Brumfield, who was not retained at the end of the season.
Syracuse will most likely look to have its coaching staff set before the transfer portal officially opens on January 2.
