Coming from Louisiana to upstate New York has been quite the adjustment for Syracuse quarterback Rickie Collins.

“Coming from sunny skies and the heat, the humidity to seeing snow, I was like, ‘Oh.’ It was the first time seeing snow when I came down. And I had it for, like, two [or] three months straight.”

Unfortunately, the climate is not something he can control. But one thing he does have sway over is his play on the field.

“My goal for this spring is just to get better than I was the day before,” Collins said. “So just keep stacking days is my viewpoint on it, and just keep competing to the best of my ability.” 

That attitude has helped the LSU transfer earn the starting quarterback position, and taking over for Kyle McCord, who is heading to the NFL. Head coach Fran Brown says Collins’ consistency gave him the confidence to name Collins QB1.

“I knew he would fit here,” Brown said. “I think this would be the perfect fit for him to come and show you what he is, what he’s about - an Elite 11 quarterback, such as Kyle [McCord].”

“He’s really fit into the team really quickly, and I think the team and all the players have a lot of respect for him,” said Nunzio Campanile, Syracuse’s quarterback coach. “The amount of growth he's made since he's been here has been really, really impressive.”

As a four-star duo-threat recruit from Baton Rouge, Collins has attempted just seven passes and carried the ball seven times during his tenure at LSU. But with 12 spring practices under his belt, he’s getting more comfortable with time, and playing faster, thanks to the quarterback room. 

“They help me with a lot of things,” Collins said. “They are very knowledgeable of the game and they're knowledgeable of the offense. And sometimes I ask them questions, they help me, so I feel like we all help each other well.”

Help from everywhere, except Mother Nature. But luckily with spring here and summer on the horizon hopefully, Collins will only have to worry about football.

The Syracuse spring football game will get underway Saturday at 3 p.m. at the JMA Wireless Dome.