Fran Brown, Jeff Nixon, Nunzio Campanile and the Syracuse Orange have decided on a major shakeup. Prior to Syracuse’s game against the North Carolina Tar Heels, multiple new outlets reported that true freshman Joseph Filardi would be the Orange’s starting quarterback. Filardi would be Syracuse’s third starting quarterback this season.
Filardi is a two-sport player for Syracuse. He is a walk-on for Syracuse football and a scholarship player for Gary Gait on Syracuse’s men’s lacrosse team. Filardi was
a four-star recruit as a close defenseman and the No. 52 ranked recruit in the Class of 2025 according to Inside Lacrosse. He has yet to play for or Syracuse men’s lacrosse. Filardi has played one snap for Syracuse in football this season.
Filardi was an accomplished player for football and lacrosse at Half Hollow Hills West on Long Island. During his senior year of high school, Filardi threw for 3,115 yards and 43 touchdowns while rushing for 1,138 yards and 12 touchdowns. He was also selected as a 2024 USA Lacrosse All-American.
Syracuse makes the change after starting Rickie Collins at quarterback for the last four games. In those four starts, Collins has throw for 858 yards on 78-142 passing. That’s a 54.9% completion rate. The LSU transfer has four passing touchdowns and seven interceptions during that span. The Orange have lost all four games that Collins has started at quarterback.
Collins initially took over at starting quarterback for Syracuse after Steve Angeli tore his Achilles tendon against Clemson. Angeli’s 1,317 passing yards after three-and-a-half games led the FBS at the time. The Notre Dame transfer is out for the season due to the injury.
This is not the first two-sport football-lacrosse player to play this season in football. Notre Dame has two players in Jordan Faison and Matt Jeffery who play football and lacrosse for the Fighting Irish.
Syracuse and Filardi take on Bill Belichick, a former football and lacrosse player himself, and UNC tonight at 7:30 pm. The game is airing on ESPN.
