What a difference a year makes
Last spring, Syracuse Orange football fans knew that Kyle McCord was going to be the unquestioned starter at quarterback for the 2024 season.
After 10 wins, and with a gauntlet looming in 2025, the Orange head into next week’s spring practice with a giant question mark at the qb position. With the departure of McCord, Carlos Del-Rio Wilson and Braeden Davis, the Orange will head into 2025 with an open competition between a lot of inexperienced players.
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LSU transfer Rickie Collins is the only current quarterback who has attempted a pass in college (he’s 7-7 in his career), but Syracuse quarterbacks coach Nunzio Campanile told a coaches clinic that the staff doesn’t expect the new quarterbacks to be McCord.
“One of the best things about the offense that Coach Nixon has built is it’s malleable,” Campanile said. “It’s easy to adjust certain things that fit the skills of the guys.”
It will be interesting to see what some of these new wrinkles will be, but expect to see the Syracuse quarterbacks on the move more often in 2025. While many expect an equal competition through the spring, Campanile had an interesting comment, saying “The guys who handle the reps the best will get more reps.”
We’ll have to see if that’s a coach challenging his players to be prepared, or if Syracuse feels that the best way to get a new quarterback ready for Tennessee is to give them the bulk of the work.
Practices start next Friday so we know all eyes will be on the players taking the snaps as we head through the next month.