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Syracuse names Steve Angeli as starting quarterback ahead of 2025 season

Untitled design (2)by: Sam Gillenwater08/18/25samdg_33
Syracuse QB Steve Angeli
MICHAEL CLUBB | SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE | USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Syracuse thought they had their starting quarterback determined coming out of the spring. However, a portal addition in the spring cycle has now gone on to win the job instead for the Orange

QB Steve Angeli has been named Syracuse’s QB1 for 2025, On3’s Pete Nakos confirmed. He got the job over Rickie Collins, who was named the starter back at the start of April.

Angeli arrives after three seasons spent as a backup at Notre Dame behind names like Drew Pyne, Tyler Buchner, Sam Hartman, and Riley Leonard. This year could have been his first as the starter in South Bend but, coming out of spring practice, Angeli elected to enter the portal, as a Top-250 overall transfer and No. 20 QB per On3’s 2025 Top Transfer Portal Players, with the Fighting Irish leaning toward one of CJ Carr or Kenny Minchey, taking one name out of what was another high-profile quarterback competition this offseason.

In 21 games played as a reserve for Notre Dame, Angeli completed 72.5% of his throws for 772 yards, 10 touchdowns, and one interception. He made one career start in a 40-8 win over Oregon State in the Sun Bowl in 2023 where he was 15-19 (78.9%) for 232 yards and three passing touchdowns while also rushing for a career-best of 27 yards. Then, behind Leonard last fall, Angeli posted 66.7% completion for 268 yards and three touchdowns as the backup on the runner-up team in the College Football Playoff, including a key drive by him towards the end of the first half of their playoff semifinal against Penn State in the Orange Bowl.

ESPN first reported the news. Collins is now left as a reserve despite being named as the starter in the spring by Fran Brown, which happened about a week before Angeli entered and about two weeks before Angeli committed to ‘Cuse. That’s after Collins also transferred in this offseason from LSU as a Top-400 player and the No. 31 QB in the portal per On3. He, while a backup in Baton Rouge, only rushed while with the Tigers with seven carries for 37 yards, after being a four-star commitment and top quarterback recruit in ’23 coming into his hometown school at Louisiana State.

This competition reopened with Angeli’s arrival coming out of the spring and into the summer. Now, at this point of fall camp, Angeli will be Notre Dame’s starter to open with when they kick off against Miami in Coral Gables on August 31st.