Syracuse offensive coordinator Brian White will not return next season, sources close to White and the football team confirmed Tuesday night.

The move comes less than a week after SU head coach Greg Robinson promised to ‘shake things up’ within the Syracuse football program, which finished 2-10 this season.

Neither White nor Robinson was available for comment Tuesday. Sue Edson, Syracuse’s assistant athletics director for communications, could not confirm the decision.

The sources wished to remain anonymous because an official announcement has yet to be made.

White came to Syracuse in 2006 with an extensive resume highlighted by six seasons as the offensive coordinator and nine seasons as running backs coach at Wisconsin. For the Badgers, he coached several top-flight running backs – including 1999 Heisman Trophy winner Ron Dayne – and helped Wisconsin to nine bowl games and two Big 10 championships.

But the Orange offense that finished 115th (out of 119 teams) in the nation in total offense in 2005 has improved little under White. SU was 110th last year and 114th this year in total offense, averaging just 16.4 points and 62.8 rushing yards per contest in 2007.

White – whose brother Chris is SU’s wide receivers’ coach and recruiting coordinator – was originally hired as quarterbacks coach in January 2006 but was promoted to O-coordinator after the departure of Brian Pariani later that month. The decision seemed appropriate considering White had adeptly run the West Coast offense that Syracuse uses while at Wisconsin.

White was also instrumental in recruiting quarterback Andrew Robinson to Syracuse. White established a relationship with the Calvert Hall (Md.) High School prospect while recruiting him for Wisconsin.

With the offense turning over a new leaf this fall, many believed Syracuse would be relying on its firepower to make its way back to prominence. A new quarterback (the sophomore Robinson) coupled with two returning wide receivers (sophomore Mike Williams and junior Taj Smith) and running backs (sophomore Delone Carter and junior Curtis Brinkley) brought hype into the 2007 season.

But Carter was lost for the season with a hip injury in the spring, and offensive line struggles plagued SU’s offense from the start.

Syracuse scored 14 or fewer points seven times this season, including a 35-0 loss at Iowa on Sept. 8. Williams, though, did set a school record for receptions, and SU scored 31 points in its final game against Cincinnati.

Syracuse director of athletics Daryl Gross announced his decision to retain Robinson, who has a 7-28 record in three seasons, last Wednesday, amid growing speculation that Robinson would be fired with two years remaining in his contract. In Robinson’s final weekly press conference of the year Friday, he said he would ‘shake things up’ within the program, but he didn’t mention any coaches specifically.

‘I want to shake everything and every person in the program,’ Robinson said, ‘and do what has to be done to make this thing push to the next level.’

In June 2006, White was arrested and charged with DWI in Syracuse.

Published on December 4, 2007 at 12:00 pm