‘11 is 1’: Syracuse football’s new DC Vince Kehres shares vision for the Orange defense

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The Syracuse Orange are moving forward with a new leader on the sidelines to guide the team’s defense, and the incoming hire is now starting to share more about his vision for the unit and its players.

Syracuse hired Toledo’s Vince Kehres to serve as its new defensive coordinator, taking over for Elijah Robinson. Kehres, who brings decades of coaching experience from his tenures with Division III’s Mount Union and Toledo, recently sat down with Voice of the Orange Matt Park to speak on his decision to join the program and what he hopes to bring to the table in his next chapter as the new Orange DC.

“I know there’s a lot of young men here that are passionate about football, but what kind of jumped out to me is, man, there’s some talent, and there’s some young talent,” Kehres said. “Having the opportunity to work with them and develop them and and help them take the next step, that excited me.”

Kehres’ background in college football first began as a player for Mount Union, where he played defensive end for four years for the Alliance, Ohio-based school. Wearing pads instead of coaching gear at the time, he won two DIII Championships in 1996 and 1997. There, the foundation was set for the attitude and mindset Kehres is hoping to now bring to upstate New York.

Kehres first joined the Purple Raiders’ coaching staff in 2000. From 2005 to 2012, he would fully take over as defensive coordinator for the team under his father and then-head coach Larry Kehres. During that time frame, Mount Union had the best defense in Division III for three years and one of the best units consistently for a powerhouse DIII program.

Kehres said the program’s core values were work, commitment, loyalty and hope, very similar to the philosophy of current Syracuse head coach Fran Brown.

After taking over for Larry as the Purple Raiders’ next head coach for over half a decade, Vince joined Toledo to serve as its defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. In his six-year tenure, the Rockets saw a complete turnaround of its defensive success, going from last in MAC in total defense to one of the conference’s best units. In 2025, Toledo allowed a MAC-best 12.2 points per game.

Kehres’ vision for Syracuse’s defense: 11 is one. Kehres said it starts with trust and strong relationships with the coaches. From there, it trickles down to the players, and that in turn, will start to lead to good results.

“That leads to the players trust each other, and they believe in the vision. They believe in where they’re headed. They believe they’re being developed and playing together, seeing guys play together and play really hard and communicate,” Kehres said. “It’s very rewarding, but that’s what we were able to do at Toledo.”

When the time came to take on the Syracuse job, Kehres said the appeal to him was coach Brown. Brown shared his vision and plan with the soon-to-be new Syracuse DC, he said.

“I know Coach Brown is a very faithful man and I think there’s a reason that we’re supposed to be together. I believe that.”

During his time with Toledo, Kehres said the team also embraced being a “developmental program.”

2025 is a good example. This past season, nine of the Rockets’ defensive players earned All-MAC honors, four of whom (LB K’Von Sherman and DB’s Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, Andre Fuller and Braden Awls) cracked the first team.

“You got to do a great job of identifying the right guys, and then you have to have a great plan for their development,” Kehres said. “Then, they have to own their development.”

Kehres will hope to turn that experience and background as a developer into results for the Orange, who finished statistically as one of the worst defenses in the ACC this past season. Syracuse ended the year giving up the most points (34.9) and touchdowns (53) in the conference. It also ranked bottom-five among the ACC in forced fumbles, interceptions and sacks.

Kehres also hinted at his defensive philosophy for the Orange going forward: stopping the run, winning the “money downs” and playing together. With the 2026 season looming, Kehres shared his excitement of Syracuse’s game-day atmosphere and the energy that he’ll get to see firsthand in the Dome, guiding the Orange defense.

“The louder that crowd is cheering on third and fourth down, the harder it is for that offense to execute,” Kehres said. “I can’t wait to experience that.”

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