Fran Brown, Jeff Nixon, Nunzio Campanile and the Syracuse Orange decided to make a major shakeup. Prior to Syracuse's game against the North Carolina Tar Heels, multiple new media outlets reported that true freshman Joseph Filardi will be the Orange's starting quarterback. Filardi will become Syracuse's third starting quarterback this season.
Filardi was a two-sport athlete at Syracuse University. He was a walk-on player on the Syracuse University football team and a Gary Gate scholarship player on the Syracuse University men's lacrosse team. According to Inside Lacrosse, Filardi is a four-star tight end recruit and the No. 52 ranked recruit in the 2025 class. He has yet to play in a Syracuse men's lacrosse game. Filardi played one football game for Syracuse this season.
Filardi was a standout football and lacrosse player on Long Island's Mid-Sky Mountain West. As a senior in high school, Filardi passed for 3,115 yards and 43 touchdowns and rushed for 1,138 yards and 12 touchdowns. He was also named a 2024 U.S. Lacrosse All-American.
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Syracuse made the switch after starting Ricky Collins at quarterback for the past four games. In those four starts, Collins went 78-142 passing for 858 yards. The completion rate is 54.9%. The LSU transfer had four passing touchdowns and seven interceptions during his career. The Orange lost all four games Collins started at quarterback.
Collins initially took over as Syracuse's starting quarterback after Steve Angeli tore his Achilles against Clemson. After three and a half games, Angeli led the FBS in passing yards with 1,317. The Notre Dame transfer will miss the season due to injury.
This isn't the first two-sport football lacrosse player to compete in football this season. Notre Dame has two players, Jordan Faison and Matt Jeffrey, who play football and lacrosse for the Fighting Irish.
Syracuse and Filardi will take on former football and lacrosse player Bill Belichick and UNC tonight at 7:30. The game is being broadcast on ESPN.