As the Syracuse Orange head into Friday night’s home game against North Carolina, the time to make a quarterback move seems more than apparent. Rickie Collins has done a good job of handing a difficult
situation in his media appearances, but he hasn’t delivered on the field.
The current losing streak goes far deeper than Collins’ performance, but bowl eligibility is a mirage and it’s time to see what the 2026 needs are before the only portal period opens up in January.
I’m not one of those who is worked up about what Fran Brown says in the media. One of the reasons he gets top players to play for him is that he isn’t going to be one of those coaches who buries them in the press. However, Fran seemed to take a slightly different tone in Monday’s press conference.
That last part sounds like Brown is more open to making a change than he’s been in the weeks since Steve Angeli’s injury.
Many Orange fans have decided that Luke Carney is the answer and while I think Carney should get a chance. I’d also like to see Jakhari Williams or Rich Belin or even Joe Filardi face some non-Syracuse defenders the rest of the way. Angeli’s rehab status will be a big unknown before the 2026 season so the Orange should see how the young quarterbacks handle the bright lights because we don’t know what will happen to that position room before the 2026 opener
If Fran and Jeff Nixon feel like one of the quarterbacks would be ready if Angeli isn’t, that can take Syracuse out of the QB transfer market. I know a lot of people think Syracuse “needs” another QB, but yesterday’s price is not today’s price. If you aren’t going in on a new quarterback, it’s money that can go towards help on the lines, which project as the biggest off-season need. It would be wiser to have something other than practice tape to make that decision.
Switching quarterbacks could lead to more disappointment in the short-term, but you’ve got a home game against a UNC team which has struggled. Despite that struggle, Bill Belichick is a Hall of Fame coach for a reason- he coached Tom Brady. In all seriousness, he does know defense. The book is out on Collins and it would seem to reason that UNC knows he’s not good on dealing with pressure and going through progressions. You can offset the inexperience by throwing the Tar Heels off their gameplan with a switch. Not to mention that the fan base will be more supportive of one of the younger players than they will be with Collins.
Syracuse has reached the point where the 2026 season preparation takes priority. Brown has a top 30 class coming in, but like this year’s group, there will be just a few ready to step in right away. The others will need time, like these quarterbacks, before they can be counted on in ACC play so knowing what to prioritize in January’s transfer portal is important for the program’s rebuild.
