This will be the first year college football enrolls the new 105-player roster limit, meaning fewer players will be competing to be the quarterback of Syracuse. Entering the spring, Syracuse had seven quarterbacks and one clear-cut favorite, being LSU transfer Rickie Collins. Now, after the Spring window, it has turned into a competition between Collins and Notre Dame transfer Steve Angeli. One of many ACC quarterback battles, this one is the most intriguing because it puts two capable players from prestigious schools against each other. The only problem is that both quarterbacks lack starts and film. Nevertheless, both of these guys are good enough to start, but there can only be one starting quarterback.
Syracuse Quarterback Battle
Star Stays Home
In high school, Collins showed incredible physical and athletic ability, making his ceiling extremely high. Throwing for just over 1,500 yards in his senior year, Collins became a star, competing in events like Pro 11. Every team wanted him out of high school, due to his impressive stature at 6’-2″, and the idea of his adding weight to become even more of a problem outside the pocket made teams far more interested in the Louisiana native. The only problem teams had with Collins was not knowing how long it would take to develop him. Still, the idea of getting an absurdly raw prospect with incredible metrics helped him become the 15th-ranked QB in the 2023 class, per 247Sports. He would later commit to his hometown team, LSU.
Learning but Not Earning
In two years, Collins learned from the best, including Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels and current Heisman favorite Garrett Nussmeier. In that short time, Collins didn’t get the chance to display his talents, never starting one game. Redshirted his freshman year, he appeared in four games for the Tigers, completing 100% of the seven throws he attempted and running for 37 yards. This ultimately led him to enter the portal on December 4, 2024, where he decided to transfer to Syracuse 19 days later.
Immediately following Kyle McCord’s departure to the NFL, Collins became the number-one guy for the Orange. The upside and potential Collins offers the Orange is more than any other quarterback on the roster. He is one of the most promising prospects in all of college football, as his ceiling is truly unlimited. With that being said, almost four months later, another quarterback committed to the Orange, now making this an intense battle.
New Jersey Man
Before Angeli ended up in South Bend, he was ranked as the 43rd-best QB in the 2022 class, out of New Jersey. In high school, Angeli threw for almost 2,000 yards in his senior year, throwing for 15 touchdowns. He led Bergen Catholic to an impressive 12-0 record and a state championship. Still, Angeli lacked true upside as it seemed teams knew what they were getting with him: a QB with good movement, but an arm on the weaker side. Even with all of this, Angeli was still good enough to commit to Notre Dame.
South Bend Entry
At Notre Dame, Angeli started one game in his three years, which took place in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl game against Oregon State in 2023. In that game, Angeli showed plenty of arm strength and accuracy. The only problem was that Oregon State had lost a majority of its roster to the portal and the pros. This made evaluating Angeli extremely difficult. Still, at 6’-2″, Angeli offers good vision and accuracy, and during the bowl game, he showed plenty of skill. He has a similar build to McCord, but plays more settled and can run at times. Watching the film from the bowl game, fans can see that Angeli is gutsy. He attempted hurdles, trucks, and plenty of rollouts. Angeli doesn’t have the impressive arm like Collins or McCord has, but his intellect, maturity, and underrated athleticism make him a winning QB.
Halftime Hero
His most notable game came against Penn State in last year’s Orange Bowl. Riley Leonard went down with an injury on his right side and had to leave the game. Angeli, with zero playoff experience, was suddenly thrown into action. With less than two minutes down ten points, he was able to give the Irish their first bit of offensive confidence the entire game. His poise and preparation helped the Irish go 44 yards down the field, ending in a last-second field goal to end the first half. With this mindset and preparation, Angeli proved he had developed greatly.
Decision and Destiny
Both of these talented quarterbacks have fought for a chance to start during their college careers, but now one of them is finally going to get their chance. Truthfully, both have amazing skill sets that propel them past the other. Collins has an incredible arm and a quick first step, while Angeli has a veteran mindset and an underrated build. In the end, Angeli will likely start opening day against Tennessee due to his experience in neutral-site games. He is currently the more polished player due to having one more year of experience. Of course, Collins could be the quarterback and could make Syracuse even better than Angeli. Still, given how the season is lined up, Angeli makes more sense to be the quarterback because of the strength of schedule.
Likely to be announced as early as next month and as late as game day, stay tuned for future updates on the Syracuse quarterback battle.
Main Image: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports
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