Uncle of Johntay Cook calls out Syracuse, Rickie Collins during postgame show following SMU loss

Syracuse traveled down to Dallas for an ACC showdown against SMU, leaving with a big loss on the resume. Almost nothing went well for the Orange, falling 31-18 and suffering its third defeat of the season. Fans called into a radio show after the game to express frustrations, including the uncle of wide receiver Johntay Cook.

David Cook took time to call out Syracyse’s offense, and specifically quarterback Rickie Collins, for the SMU performance. Later saying his nephew is Johntay, the uncle made his thoughts crystal clear.

“From what I’ve seen, that was some high school football,” Cook said via Cuse Sports Talk. ” … My nephew is a five-star receiver from the SEC. He got three-star [cornerbacks] covering him from the ACC and they can’t get him the ball. I’m the reason he went to Texas and I’m finna get on the phone with his father and we finna see what we can do. We can’t let Rickie ruin our chances to get to the league. That boy is not ready for a No. 1 spot.”

You won't believe who called into Syracuse postgame after the loss to SMU… 😬 pic.twitter.com/oyp1c2SMle

— Cuse Sports Talk (@CuseSportsTalk_) October 5, 2025

Collins threw for 279 yards and a touchdown vs. SMU but added three interceptions. His efficiency was not the best either, completing 22 of 45 passes — under 50%. Syracuse managed only three points in the first half and turned the ball over four times. Thrice on downs and one of those interceptions. By the time the Orange got a touchdown in the fourth quarter, the result was far from in question.

Johntay Cook put together a nice day for himself from a stat perspective. He led Syracuse in yards at 82, catching seven passes and getting into the endzone.

However, this is more than an in-game issue, according to the uncle. He claims to have seen some practice tapes of Collins, claiming the problems stem from his performances during the week.

“I’ve seen the practice tapes,” Cook said. “My brother sent me the practice tapes. I’ve seen what he’s doing in practice. So, starters are built in practice. And that boy sucked in practice.”

Johntay Cook played high school football at DeSoto (TX), where he was a five-star prospect. He was the No. 31 overall recruit in the 2023 cycle, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

As mentioned during the radio rant, Texas is where Cook began his college career. Washington was his home out of the NCAA transfer portal for a short period before landing at Syracuse. There is a ton of football remaining this year but family members are not too thrilled.