Syracuse Football: Examining which transfer portal quarterback makes the most sense

The transfer portal has officially been open for a few days now and has been flooded with entries across the country. For the Orange, who had a top-25 portal class and 19 new players from the portal a season ago, it's an exciting time.

Key contributors from 2024's 9-3 season like Kyle McCord, Jackson Meeks, Savion Washington, Fadil Diggs, Clarence Lewis, Duce Chestnut, and Devin Grant all came from the portal and there will be similar stories to those seven players in the 2025 season.

The most important position for Syracuse football in the transfer portal is by far quarterback. Kyle McCord, barring an unlikely waiver, is out of eligibility and there isn't much experience behind him. That's compounded by Carlos Del-Rio Wilson and quarterback-turned-receiver Braden Davis entering the portal, too.

As of right now, Syracuse has only four scholarship quarterbacks for 2025: veteran Michael Johnson Jr. (who's played a mix of quarterback and wide receiver), redshirt freshman Jakhari Williams, and true freshmen Luke Carney and Rich Belin.

With that, who should Syracuse target? A couple of names have already been discussed, whether scheduled visits or reports of interest, and I'll give my thoughts on each of them.

Looking at some transfer-portal quarterbacks linked to Syracuse football.

Conner Weigman
The former Texas A&M Aggie was reported as a team to watch by On3's Pete Nakos. Weigman's story personally reminds me a bit of Kyle McCord. The two passers have similar builds, both are 6'3" while Weigman is 215 pounds compared to McCord's 220 pounds. Additionally, both were five stars out of high school and spent three years at a prestigious program. I'd also classify both as pocket passers, although Weigman does provide more of a running threat.

There are a couple of differences between the two quarterbacks, one being Weigman's health. He's missed time due to injury in all three of his seasons, including a season-ending foot injury after week four. Additionally, he hasn't always been the most effective quarterback.

Across 13 starts and 15 appearances, Weigman is 219-365 for 2,694 yards, 19 touchdowns, and seven interceptions, with 261 yards and two touchdowns rushing. Weigman was benched for Marcel Reed after struggling mightily against LSU, who came back for the win and never lost the job. Weigman would also have two years of eligibility.

Weigman is a talented QB who, for various reasons, never put it all together despite flashes. He's still ranked as the No. 4 portal quarterback by 247Sports and he can easily live up to his full potential wherever he ends up. I think he would be better at Syracuse than A&M, but he's coming off his worst season (three touchdowns, five interceptions), and I would rather see him go somewhere else.

Kaidon Salter
The former Liberty QB is a dynamic dual-threat who's led Liberty to 21 wins over the past two seasons - including a C-USA Championship and Fiesta Bowl appearance in 2023. 247Sports ranks him as the eighth-best portal quarterback as of this writing. Salter originally committed to Tennessee out of high school as a four-star quarterback although never played a game with the Vols.

Salter has two years of starting experience with his best year coming in 2023, throwing for 2,876 yards and 32 touchdowns with 1,089 yards and 12 rushing scores. Like Weigman, Salter regressed in 2024, contributing 55 fewer yards per game with his completion percentage dropping from 61% to 56.3%.

Another factor with Salter is he has an off-the-field resume, who was dismissed from Tennessee in 2021. I have also heard rumors that he's not great in the locker room or as a leader, something Kyle McCord excelled at. I do not have a personal confirmation of this, but I truly believe the quarterback, especially a veteran like Salter, should be a leader, and if he's not, I'd stay away from the 6'1", 200-pound quarterback.

Rickie Collins
Collins is a former LSU Tiger who was just on campus for a visit on December 10th. He has played in just four games at LSU as the backup to Jayden Daniels and Garrett Nussmeier in mop-up duty, completing all 7 passes for 38 yards with another 7 carries and 37 yards. The 6'2", 190-pound quarterback follows the trend of highly recruited quarterbacks out of high school being a four-star who committed to his hometown school.

LSU doesn't publicly release a depth chart, but I believe Collins was the first backup to Garrett Nussmeier, who's returning for his senior season. His three appearances in 2023 were more than any other LSU backup.

Judging by Collins' high school tape, he projects as a gunslinger. He has a strong arm, scrambles around the backfield to keep plays around, and is accurate enough. His mechanics weren't the best, but two years at LSU should have easily improved that. Collins can also be utilized for designed runs.

I really like him as a prospect, the reason he hasn't played at LSU is only because of those ahead of him and I think he'd break out at Syracuse. Collins still has three years of eligibility and is ranked as the 15th-best transfer portal quarterback.

Anthony Colandrea
Syracuse is also potentially in play for the former Virginia quarterback, and he'll be visiting sometime next week after going to Ole Miss and Pittsburgh first. Colandrea is a smaller passer at 6'0" and 183 pounds and has been asked to do a lot more than expected with 17 total starts in his first two years at the college level. Additionally, Virginia hasn't had a great offensive line or running game to set Colandrea up for success.

In 2024, Colandrea was 189-320 for 2,125 yards and 13 touchdowns, although with 11 interceptions. He also carried the ball for 277 rushing yards and two scores. The interceptions do seem to be a problem for Colandrea, the 18th-ranked quarterback in the portal, as he had nine as a freshman and seven multi-interception games.

Colandrea is a guy who will benefit from playing at a different school, and I think he can be a successful ACC quarterback but there certainly are flaws with his game. Can they be masked by Jeff Nixon and Co.? Maybe, and I wouldn't hate if Syracuse took a flyer on Colandrea.

Verdict
Given the four names, I want Rickie Collins the most. He has three more years of eligibility and I think he would be a great fit in the offense. Behind him, give me Conner Weigman, Anthony Colandrea, and Kaidon Salter, in that order. I think each quarterback has the potential to be good for Syracuse, and there is risk with Collins too, but he's the best option in my opinion.