Syracuse to reportedly start freshman QB Joseph Filardi vs. UNC
After going 0-4 under starting quarterback Rickie Collins, Syracuse is turning to freshman Joe FIlardi as its signal caller versus North Carolina. Leonardo Eriman | Photo Editor
Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our sports newsletter here.
Syracuse football is expected to change quarterbacks on Friday against North Carolina, as CNY Central’s Matt Mulcahy reported that SU will start freshman Joseph Filardi under center.
This marks the benching of previous starting quarterback Rickie Collins after head coach Fran Brown wouldn’t commit to a starter this week before Friday’s matchup versus UNC.
Two hours before Friday’s kickoff, ESPN college football reporter Pete Thamel confirmed the report of Filardi getting the start for SU.
The news of a potential signal-caller change comes after Syracuse’s quarterback situation turned into a nightmare following Week 1 starter Steve Angeli’s season-ending torn Achilles, which he suffered in a Week 4 win over Clemson.
The Orange were one of the best passing offenses in the nation with the Notre Dame transfer Angeli in command. Angeli led all quarterbacks in passing yards (1,317) through his four games played.
Since his injury, though, Syracuse’s offense has been among the country’s worst. Collins’ rough stretch of performances have contributed to SU’s ongoing four-game losing skid, defeats which all came against Atlantic Coast Conference foes.
Sitting at 3-5 with a passing offense that’s evaporated and a running game that’s almost nonexistent, the Orange need a miracle to make a bowl game.
Enter Filardi — the freshman walk-on quarterback from Dix Hills, New York.
Filardi is simultaneously a Syracuse men’s lacrosse commit, slated to join head coach Gary Gait’s squad in the spring, and will take his first-career Division I football snaps in the Dome against the Tar Heels. Filardi tossed for 3,115 passing yards and 43 touchdowns in his 2024 season as a senior at Half Hollow Hills West high school.
Filardi has mostly been on the scout team and stuffed in the back of SU’s quarterback depth chart this season. But with the Orange running out of time to turn their season around, and after trying out freshman quarterback Luke Carney to no avail against Pitt on Oct. 18, Brown feels Filardi gives Syracuse the best chance to win.
Now, Filardi’s got a tall task ahead of him as he steps into his collegiate debut on Halloween night. He must go up against UNC’s Bill Belichick, a six-time Super Bowl winning NFL head coach who made a living off making opposing rookie quarterbacks look miserable.
