Syracuse Orange quarterback Rickie Collins (10) is tackled by a Colgate Raiders defender in the fourth quarter at the JMA Wireless Dome on Sep 12, 2025 in Syracuse, New York.

Syracuse football picked up its biggest win yet of the Fran Brown era in Week 4, with a commanding and historic win over ACC powerhouse Clemson.

But now, as the Orange look to continue their strong start to the season, they will have to rally around a new quarterback.

Starting under center for Syracuse vs. Duke on Saturday, Sept. 27 at noon ET will be recently named starting quarterback Rickie Collins. He will step in for the injured Steve Angeli, who has now been ruled out for the remainder of the season with a torn Achilles tendon.

Collins was forced into action at the 2:37 mark in the third quarter following Angeli's injury and, not including the drive that Angeli began, led one scoring drive. The Orange punted on three offensive possessions under Collins and ran out the clock on the final possession of the game.

Here's what to know on Collins:

Who is Syracuse football quarterback?

Collins, a redshirt sophomore quarterback at Syracuse, will be starting in Week 5 against Duke.

The Baton Rouge, Louisiana native transferred to Syracuse from LSU in December 2024, competing with Angeli for the Orange's starting quarterback position in fall camp. He appeared in four total games in his two seasons at LSU, with the bulk of those appearances coming last year.

With the game well in hand in the fourth quarter, the 6-foot-2 quarterback came in during Syracuse's 66-24 win over Colgate in Week 3, completing 3 of 4 passes for 65 yards and a touchdown. He came into the game when Angeli left with his apparent leg injury vs. Clemson, against whom he completed 3 of 8 passes for 34 yards and one touchdown.

"I’m happy for Rickie. I’m excited for him. I thought he handled everything the right way," Brown said this week at a Sept. 22 news conference of Collins, according to The Daily Orange. "No one deserves an opportunity more than he does."

He added: "He’s shadowed Jayden Daniels, he’s shadowed (Garrett Nussmeier). He got a chance to see Kyle (McCord) here last year, and over the last four weeks he’s been able to be right behind Steve (Angeli), so I think there’s no better place for him to be than to be here."

Why is Rickie Collins starting for Syracuse football vs Duke?

Collins is starting after Angeli sustained a torn Achilles tendon injury in the Orange's 34-21 win over Clemson in Week 4. Angeli announced on social media on Tuesday, Sept. 23, that he underwent surgery on a torn Achilles tendon and that he be out for the remainder of the 2025 season.

Rickie Collins 247Sports

  • As prospect: Three-star recruit | No. 24 ranked QB | No. 406 ranked prospect
  • As transfer: Four-star recruit | No. 17 ranked QB | No. 231 ranked prospect

Collins was listed as a three-star recruit and the No. 24 ranked quarterback in the transfer portal, according to 247Sports' Composite rankings. The 6-foot-2 quarterback was originally ranked by 247Sports' Composite rankings as a four-star recruit and the No. 17 ranked quarterback in the 2023 recruiting class.

Rickie Collins stats

Here's a year-by-year breakdown of Collins' stats at LSU and Syracuse:

  • 2023 (LSU): 2 of 2 (100%) passing for three yards; three carries for 19 rushing yards
  • 2024 (LSU): 5 of 5 (100%) passing for 35 yards; four carries for 18 rushing yards
  • 2025 (Syracuse): 7 of 14 (50%) passing for 99 yards with two touchdowns and an interception; six carries for 11 rushing yards

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is Syracuse's starting quarterback? Rickie Collins stats, 247 rating, more

Reporting by John Leuzzi, USA TODAY NETWORK / USA TODAY

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