Kennesaw State just dropped a bomb, naming Rickie Collins as their starting quarterback for the 2026 season. Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports confirmed the news, and yeah, many folks expected it after Collins transferred on January 8, 2026. But get this, Collins is coming off a season where he started for the Syracuse Orange and went a brutal 0-5. Talk about a curveball for the Owls faithful.
Collins’ Tough Road to Kennesaw
Let’s not sugarcoat it: Collins’ run with Syracuse wasn’t pretty. He stepped in last season when Steve Angeli went down with a torn Achilles, and the numbers are tough to look at. He tossed for 1,042 yards, six touchdowns, but a whopping 10 interceptions on 181 attempts. That kind of play was a big reason Syracuse tumbled to a 3-9 record after rocking a 9-3 season the year before. Collins has the high school pedigree, sure, a four-star recruit from the class of 2023 who committed to LSU, competing with Jayden Daniels and Garrett Nussmeier. But he never won that starting job in Power Four football. The potential’s there, but the results haven’t matched the hype, at least not yet.
The Amari Odom Question and What It Means Now
And here’s where it gets wild: Collins is replacing Amari Odom, who’s now swapped places and is the backup for Syracuse. Odom, man, he was the guy for Kennesaw State. He went 7-2 in his starts, helping the Owls put up a 10-4 record, win Conference USA, and even play in a bowl game. That’s a huge turnaround from their 2-10 first FBS season in 2024. So Kennesaw State is rolling with a guy who went 0-5 and threw 10 picks, over a proven winner who led them to a conference title and a bowl game. It’s a huge gamble, no doubt about it. This move screams, “We’re betting on the potential.” Can Collins finally live up to that four-star rating in the Group of Five, or are the Owls setting themselves up for a rough ride after a taste of real success?
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
Leave a Reply