As No. 21 Syracuse football (9-3) prepares to face Washington State (8-4) in the Holiday Bowl this coming Friday night in San Diego, the Orange staff is once again doing fun things in the transfer portal.
To be fair, the 'Cuse has seen numerous of its 2024 players elect to transfer out and find new homes, something that every college squad will have to contend with amid the current portal window opening on December 9 and running through December 28.
On the flip side, though, first-year head coach Fran Brown and his top-flight staff have landed at least four college transfers so far, with more pledges likely on the way, after the Orange hauled in a top-25 portal class in 2024, per 247Sports.
LSU quarterback transfer Rickie Collins has signed with Syracuse, @On3sports has learned. https://t.co/HEeAg5iBJS
— Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos_) December 20, 2024
One of the latest developments is that, according to multiple media reports, LSU redshirt freshman quarterback Rickie Collins, who has three years of collegiate eligibility left and visited the Hill not too long ago, has committed to Syracuse football. It's important to note that Brent Axe of Syracuse.com first reported a few days ago that the 6-foot-2, 205-pound Collins intended to sign with the 'Cuse.
.@mzenitz and @chris_hummer report LSU transfer QB Rickie Collins Jr. has signed with @CuseFootball. I reported on Wednesday that Collins Jr. intended to sign with the Orange. https://t.co/4STNFH8TOr
— Brent Axe (@BrentAxeMedia) December 21, 2024
The Tigers (8-4) will face Baylor (8-4) in the Texas Bowl on December 31 in Houston. A big welcome from Orange Nation to Rickie!
The Syracuse football quarterback room for the 2025 season will be intriguing.
I don't want to blow past the Orange's upcoming bowl game, because the 'Cuse has an excellent shot to get to 10 wins in a season for the first time since 2018. At the same time, one can't help but feel excited about the team's quarterback position for the 2025 campaign.
First and foremost, we'll have to see if record-setting senior quarterback Kyle McCord is able to get a waiver from the NCAA, as Chris Carlson of Syracuse.com reports that McCord is currently undergoing an appeals process.
Source: Kyle McCord is currently fighting for the chance to potentially play a fifth season of college football. His first try at getting a waiver from the NCAA was rejected. He's currently in the midst of an appeal process. https://t.co/zBwKlPc50a
— chris carlson (@ccarlsononSU) December 20, 2024
Collins, who hails from Baton Rouge, La., appeared in four games over his two stanzas with LSU, going 7-of-7 through the air for a total of 38 yards. He joined the Tigers as a consensus four-star prospect in the 2023 recruiting cycle who shined for Woodlawn High School in Baton Rouge.
While in high school, the majority of recruiting services, within the 2023 class, ranked Collins in the top 250 nationally and in the top 20 at quarterback. In national transfer ratings on Saturday, several recruiting Web sites placed him as three stars, in the top 200 overall and in the top 30 at QB.
Now, obviously if McCord is granted an NCAA waiver to play another season and he returns to the Orange, he will be the team's starting signal-caller in 2025. But if that doesn't transpire, the squad's quarterback room is likely to include Collins, redshirt senior Michael Johnson Jr., who has received a hardship waiver from the NCAA to be eligible to play next year, current freshman Jakhari Williams, and a pair of 2025 three-star commits in Luke Carney from the Dallas area and Rich Belin from New York City.
I'd be surprised if Carney or Belin, as incoming freshmen, wins the starting quarterback job, but I assume that Collins, Johnson and Williams will all significantly contend for that role. It would prove so tough for any of the Orange's quarterbacks for 2025 to top what McCord has done in the current campaign, but Brown and his assistants appear to have a talented QB room for next year.