Syracuse football head coach Fran Brown said on Wednesday that when the Orange hosts North Carolina in an Atlantic Coast Conference showdown on Halloween, redshirt sophomore Rickie Collins won't be the only 'Cuse quarterback to play.
Wow. Collins, a four-star transfer from LSU, has been the Orange's starting signal-caller since redshirt junior Steve Angeli suffered a season-ending injury at Clemson. The 'Cuse beat the Tigers on the road to get to 3-1.
With Collins at the helm, the Orange has suffered through a four-game setback streak, as Syracuse football prepares to welcome the Tar Heels, another struggling ACC group, to the JMA Wireless Dome this Friday night.
To be fair, Collins isn't the only reason that the 'Cuse has lost four straight. The offensive line and running game aren't great, and the defense has been up and down. Still, many Syracuse football fans, these days, are clamoring for Brown to make a change at quarterback.
"I love Rickie, man. He had a month of running the program ... we went 0-4 ... we gotta open that competition up."
— Cuse Sports Talk (@CuseSportsTalk_) October 29, 2025
Syracuse HC Fran Brown with an honest answer on the plans for quarterback against North Carolina on Friday night. pic.twitter.com/66Gjq3VtzM
And it sounds like he might. In a radio interview on Wednesday, Brown was asked if Collins would be the team's starter versus UNC. Brown said it would depend on how Collins practices on Wednesday.
Syracuse football head coach Fran Brown opened up about the team's quarterback room.
So far in the 2025 campaign, as Orange has gone 3-5 overall and 1-4 in conference clashes, Collins has struggled with his accuracy and turnovers. He is completing 54.5 percent of his passes for 957 yards with six touchdowns and eight interceptions.
Brown said matter-of-factly that on Friday evening, "You won’t just see Rickie in the game." The 'Cuse head coach stressed that he loves Collins, he has supported him as QB1 over the past month, and Brown will always do whatever is needed to help the team win games.
Because Syracuse football is 0-4 with Collins as the starting quarterback, Brown said, "You have to open that competition up." He added that he has to do "what's best for the S" - that is, the entire program.
Most likely to see snaps, besides Collins, is true freshman Luke Carney from the Dallas area. He was a three-star prospect in the 2025 class and had a tremendous prep career. Carney, this season, is 2-of-3 for 10 yards through the air. On the ground, he's rushed four times for 18 yards with one score.
Other quarterbacks on the Orange's 2025 roster include redshirt freshman Jakhari Williams, freshman Joseph Filardi and freshman Rich Belin.
Brown reiterated that he's not just waiting until 2026 to try to win games, even though Angeli went down, the 2025 roster is young, and the schedule is brutal. Brown said he's focused on winning enough contests in the remainder of this season to get the Orange to post-season bowl eligibility for the fourth straight term.
After hosting the Tar Heels, Syracuse football has road dates with top-15 teams Miami and Notre Dame, and then the 'Cuse will play Boston College at home in the regular-season finale.