Syracuse football head coach Fran Brown said on Monday that redshirt sophomore Rickie Collins remains the Orange's starting quarterback, despite calls from some fans for a change at that critical position.
Following the season-ending injury to redshirt junior quarterback Steve Angeli during the team's dominating road win over Clemson, the 'Cuse has lost two straight with the 6-foot-2, 210-pound Collins, a transfer from LSU, under center. That being said, the Orange's struggles over the past two setbacks extend well beyond Collins' play at quarterback.
With Collins not playing all that well of late, some fans want to see another quarterback, such as freshman Luke Carney from the Dallas area, get a shot. Brown halted that sort of scenario on Monday.
Head Coach Fran Brown makes it very clear that Syracuse is sticking with Rickie Collins as the starting quarterback. pic.twitter.com/NQAD0PN4bv
— Cuse Sports Talk (@CuseSportsTalk_) October 13, 2025
"Rickie our quarterback. We're sticking with Rickie. ... Everyone else is gonna back Rickie up until that time comes for them," Brown said.
Syracuse football head coach Fran Brown is sticking with Rickie Collins.
The Orange (3-3 overall, 1-2 in the ACC), following its win at Clemson, got crushed at home by Duke and then lost on the road to SMU. This Saturday night, following a bye, Syracuse football will host long-time foe Pittsburgh at the JMA Wireless Dome on Homecoming.
Brown said on Monday that Collins, who is a bit turnover-prone, is starting to pick up on the Orange's offense better. Besides not fumbling or throwing interceptions, Collins needs to not stare down receivers before throwing them the ball, and he could also get rid of the football faster in some instances when making passes.
So far in the 2025 season, Collins, who has a strong arm but needs to improve his accuracy, is completing 55.2 percent of his passes for 607 yards with three touchdowns and five interceptions. On the ground, he has rushed the ball 21 times for 60 yards with one score.
Despite this being his third year in college, Collins has extremely limited prior playing experience. In his two years with LSU out of the Southeastern Conference, he threw a combined seven passes.
Brown said he believes that Carney, the primary backup at quarterback, is ready to play if needed, but the Syracuse football head coach was clear that he's sticking with Collins for now. "When something else happens, you’ll be the first to see, if you're watching the game," Brown said.