The Syracuse football quarterback room has been front and center among the fan base all season long, and understandably so. First, redshirt junior Steve Angeli, the Notre Dame transfer, was leading the country in passing yards, but he suffered a season-ending injury in the 'Cuse win at Clemson.
Since then, the Orange has lost five straight, with redshirt sophomore Rickie Collins, the LSU transfer, starting four games, followed by walk-on freshman Joseph Filardi this past Friday night in a home setback to North Carolina.
To be fair, Syracuse football's struggles over the past five Atlantic Coast Conference encounters aren't just due to quarterback play, but the QB room is a sore spot during the latter half of the 2025 campaign, without question. However, all these quarterbacks are conducting themselves with high character, and that's admirable.
Syracuse football QBs are saying all the right things.
As the Orange is set to play at No. 18 Miami on Saturday afternoon, at the time of this writing, it remained unclear who would start for the 'Cuse against the Hurricanes. It could be Collins, Filardi or freshman Luke Carney.
Media members, myself included, have felt a little perplexed about the 'Cuse staff seemingly being hesitant to let Carney make throws when he's played in 2025, despite the fact that he threw for more than 10,000 career yards and won multiple state titles for his high school in the Dallas area.
Carney, according to Syracuse.com, says that he believes in Orange coaches and plans to be with Syracuse football as a sophomore, calling it a "good relationship" with the staff. He added, "I think that my legs is something they’ve wanted to use. I guess I need to prove a little bit more. But also, I think maybe they need to have a little bit more confidence in me."
That last statement from Carney resonates. Nothing wrong with being open and honest about the situation. Collins, meanwhile, says he hasn't thought about what the future will hold, whether on the Hill or with another team. He said he's laser-focused on winning contests, trying to make a bowl game and sending off the seniors on a positive note.
Collins said that his experience at Syracuse football has been "humbling" and character-building. "But the great players we see today, you wouldn’t see those guys if they didn’t go through whatever their story may have been. Everyone’s story is different. Mine is different from the next guy," he said.
Filardi says it was surprising to him that he got to start a game at quarterback so quickly as a college newbie. He and the other Orange signal-callers are self-aware in that the QB room has struggled, but all three of these guys have confidence in their abilities.
Said Filardi: "Definitely just got to be better as a unit offensively. Kind of just have to complete more passes and just move the ball more efficiently. Can’t go three-and-out as many times as we did."