Fran Brown looked like he had his QB plans sorted after he’d named Rickie Collins as his starter. In his true fashion, he didn’t take much time to narrow down the guy who’d lead his offense in 2025. He’d moved camp from LSU to Syracuse for a better chance at getting more game time. But now that he has gotten to where he wanted to be, Brown has decided to experiment once more. This move, however, can pose a new obstacle for Collins and his hopes of being a starter.

Right after the regular season ended, chances for Collins to move up the ladder at LSU were looking slim. When Garrett Nussmeier went down with the shoulder injury, AJ Swann was the guy who stepped in for the star QB. Collins was competing for the QB2 spot in the offseason with Swann before news of Nussmeier returning for his last season broke. He likely put two and two together and decided it was time he gave another program a shot. And he nailed it, too. At Syracuse, Collins fought off Jakhari Williams and Michael Johnson Jr. to be the Orange’s QB1. However, another name in the portal can look to cause trouble for Collins and his QB1 dreams.

Steve Angeli, the quarterback who fell out of the race at Notre Dame, will visit Syracuse on Monday. Insider Jackson Holzer revealed that Angeli already had a way in while appearing on The Portal – Daily College Recruiting Podcast. He said, “When he was in high school in New Jersey, Steve Angel’s high school coach is the brother of Syracuse quarterback coach Nunzio Campanile. So, you can kind of start to connect the dots.” Brown was vocal about getting a QB from the portal, but we never wondered which kind. Holzer spoke about Syracuse hosting former Georgia State quarterback Zack Gibson. “My opinion on him is if he comes to Syracuse, he’s the backup […] But if they pursue Steve Angeli, WTF? What is happening here?” That means there’s more to what we know about the QB1 status at Syracuse.

What does this mean for Collins, then? We know that he injured his hand and missed the spring game, which seems suspicious to Holzer. “Downplaying injuries happens all the time,” he said. The other, more dangerous possibility is something that Collins should take stock of. “Maybe Ricky Collins isn’t the guy. He was good enough to win a quarterback competition against Jakhari Williams and Michael Johnson Jr., but then all of a sudden, Steve Angeli comes along. They might just think he’s better, and we’re going to go with him,” Holzer said.

Angeli was touted to land the backup position to CJ Carr, and was fighting off Kenny Minchey for the QB1 position as well. But Marcus Freeman declared that he’d want the fight to be narrowed down to just two contenders. Angeli decided to leave the Fighting Irish, despite being the most experienced contender of them all. He comes with a cumulative 772 yards and 10 touchdowns. Collins, on the other hand, just has 40 yards from his time with LSU.

A timeline of Rickie Collins at Syracuse

“I kind of knew where I was going when I entered the portal,” Collins said about his decision to enroll in Syracuse. “Watching those guys and watching what (Kyle McCord) did the past year, it gave me extra motivation to make this the place.” In the second spring practice, Collins looked great in drills with Campanile. Brown had already announced that he’d name Kyle McCord’s successor pretty soon.

He named Collins as his QB1 on April 8. That means it’s been shy of two weeks since he won that spot. As the starting quarterback, Collins will be tasked with carrying on Kyle McCord’s legacy. Brown was confident in the new QB and his abilities. “I’m sold with Rickie,” he said. “I think we’re going to do well. All the (alumni) that have come up and seen him have said, ‘He’s going to be nice.’ Everyone is real happy about him.”

The hand injury was announced on 12 April, just before the spring game took place. Syracuse says that the decision to keep him out was a “precaution,” and that the injury was not serious. But like Holzer said, downplaying injuries has now become a common practice in college football.

It will be difficult for the new QB to truly replicate McCord’s brilliance in just one season. After all, he’s just now found the ground to make the most of his expertise. But with Steve Angeli possibly arriving at Syracuse, has the ground beneath Rickie Collins’ feet suddenly become shaky?