Myles White is heading south. The former Syracuse wide receivers coach is joining Brian Hartline’s new staff at South Florida, taking on the same role he held with the Orange - and it comes just weeks after a turbulent end to his brief tenure in Central New York.
White was let go by Syracuse head coach Fran Brown in early November, less than a year after being hired. The move came in the midst of a five-game losing streak that derailed the Orange’s season and put the offense under a microscope.
“For us to get the best out of our players for the last few games of the year... I felt as though some stuff needed to happen to our staff,” Brown said on Nov. 3, addressing the decision to make a midseason coaching change.
White’s time at Syracuse started with promise. Brought in on Feb. 26 to replace Ross Douglas - who left for Oregon - White also held the title of passing game coordinator.
And early on, the results were encouraging. Quarterback Steve Angeli was lighting up defenses, leading the nation in passing yards through the first four weeks of the season.
He was spreading the ball around effectively to weapons like Johntay Cook, Justus Ross-Simmons, and Darrell Gill Jr. The offense looked dynamic, balanced, and explosive.
But that momentum came to a screeching halt on Sept. 20, when Angeli suffered a season-ending Achilles tear in a win over Clemson. From there, the Orange offense struggled to regain its rhythm.
Over the final eight games, Syracuse managed just 1,290 passing yards - a steep drop-off from the early-season fireworks. A rotating cast of quarterbacks never quite found their footing, and the passing attack stalled.
The breaking point came in a 27-10 loss to North Carolina, where walk-on quarterback Joe Filardi managed only 38 passing yards and the offense failed to find the end zone. White was dismissed shortly after.
“It’s kind of the nature of the business,” former Syracuse wideout Emanuel Ross said following the move. “(White) is a great guy.
I enjoyed working with him. Now he’s not here, but it’s just kind of how it goes.
It definitely caught us by surprise.”
White, 35, brings a diverse coaching background to USF, having previously spent time at SMU, Stephen F. Austin, Miami (Ohio), and even a stint with the Green Bay Packers.
Now, he’ll be tasked with helping rebuild the Bulls’ receiving corps under Hartline, who was hired on Dec. 3 after serving as Ohio State’s offensive coordinator. Hartline replaces Alex Golesh, who left USF to take the head coaching job at Auburn.
For White, this is a fresh start in a new system - and a chance to reset after a season that started with promise but ended in frustration.