Syracuse quarterback Rickie Collins is expected to enter the transfer portal, CBS Sports reported Thursday, ending a short and uneven stint with the Orange.
Collins arrived in Syracuse through the winter portal after leaving LSU, where he spent time learning behind Jayden Daniels and Garrett Nussmeier. He was viewed as a potential replacement for Kyle McCord and chose Syracuse over Appalachian State, also reconnecting with former LSU teammate Duce Chestnut.
The redshirt freshman quickly gained ground during spring practices and beat out Jakhari Williams for the starting job. Head coach Fran Brown named Collins the starter prior to the spring game, but a hand injury soon slowed his progress. Days later, Syracuse lost leading wide receiver Trebor Peña to the transfer portal amid doubts about the quarterback position. Brown then added Notre Dame transfer Steve Angeli, reopening the competition.
Angeli emerged as the starter following a closely contested fall camp, pushing Collins into a backup role. Collins appeared briefly in early games before taking over at Clemson after Angeli tore his Achilles. Collins helped close out the upset win, but sustained struggles followed once he became the full-time starter. Over his first four starts, Syracuse failed to score more than 20 points in any game, and Collins threw seven interceptions.
Brown later turned to true freshman walk-on Joe Filardi, though neither quarterback stabilized the offense down the stretch. Collins finished the season with six touchdown passes and 10 interceptions and did not see the field in the final two games.
Collins joins Williams and Luke Carney as Syracuse quarterbacks planning to transfer. Angeli is expected to return as the starter in 2025, leaving the Orange searching the portal for a reliable backup.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].