When Notre Dame released its official 2025 football schedule just 11 days after falling to Ohio State in the national championship game, most Irish fans knew how difficult their first two games would be. By that time, former Georgia quarterback Carson Beck had already announced his transfer to Mario Cristobal and his crew in Miami. Additionally, Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed had proved himself to be as dynamic as advertised in the 2024 season when he took over for injured Aggies quarterback Connor Weigman. However, I don’t think many Irish fans believed they would find themselves sitting with zero wins heading into week four. What may have surprised Irish fans even more is that quarterback Steve Angeli would not be wearing navy blue and gold for the 2025 season.
Leading up to the Blue-Gold game, the New Jersey native looked to be in prime position to take the starting quarterback job for the upcoming season. He had waited his turn and proved himself at the same time across his two years playing for the Irish. As a redshirt freshman, he threw for 232 yards and three touchdowns, leading an Irish win against Oregon State in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl. Following former Duke quarterback Riley Leonard’s decision to transfer to Notre Dame, Angeli opted to stay with the Irish.
Despite taking a backseat to Leonard last year, Angeli was productive and efficient with his opportunities. In an away win against Purdue, he threw for 100 yards and two touchdowns. More importantly, he led a monumental drive in the College Football Playoff (CFP) Semifinal against Penn State. With 1:34 left in the first half and the Irish down 10-0, Leonard suffered a significant blow to the head which sent him into concussion protocol. Angeli stepped up and led the Irish down the field. He completed 6-of-7 passes throwing for 44 yards and setting up the Irish for a field goal attempt. Former Notre Dame kicker Mitch Jeter drained a 41-yard field goal to put the Irish on the board. This single drive put a lot of confidence in Irish fans that he would be the starter come Labor Day weekend in Coral Gables.
The Blue-Gold game saw a trio of Irish quarterbacks displaying their talents. Current sophomore Kenny Minchey showed off his athleticism, throwing for 106 yards and rushing for a touchdown. Current redshirt freshman CJ Carr was highly efficient, throwing for 170 yards on 14-of-19 passing attempts. Angeli played admirably, throwing for 108 yards on 8-of-11 passing attempts with one touchdown. After the scrimmage, Irish head coach Marcus Freeman commented, “you got three guys that all can lead your program to a victory … and be your starting quarterback.” The strong performances from the two underclassmen ultimately led to Angeli’s decision to move schools. Just 11 days after the Blue-Gold game, Angeli announced his transfer and commitment to ACC foe Syracuse. He had waited his turn but knew it would be a competitive 3-man battle for the starting spot.
Five months later, Angeli is thriving under the guidance of Syracuse offensive coordinator Jeff Nixon, who worked side-by-side with former Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord in a 2024 season that saw McCord lead all of college football with 4,779 passing yards. A similar trend is arising with Angeli. The pass-heavy attack that Nixon has engineered has helped Angeli find early success in upstate New York. The Notre Dame transfer currently leads all of college football in passing yards through the third week of the season with 1,072 yards.
Across three games, Angeli has recorded eight passing touchdowns. In addition, Angeli helped lead a comeback win against UConn in week two. Down by 11 with less than 10 minutes remaining, Angeli helped lead three separate touchdown drives in the fourth quarter and overtime for the Orange to escape with their first win. He has led the Orange to a 2-1 record with the loss being to No. 15 Tennessee. I think Irish fans and Angeli himself knew this breakout was imminent, but he just needed a bigger opportunity. He has gotten that bigger opportunity at Syracuse and delivered thus far.
As Notre Dame sits at 0-2 and looks at a favorable final 10 games, a few stand out. The Irish hope to find a win against an SEC team this year when they visit Fayetteville to play Arkansas. In addition, one of the best rivalries in college football will occur when USC visits South Bend in October. Finally, a particular ACC opponent will visit Notre Dame for the Irish’s final regular season home game of the year — Syracuse. Angeli will travel down to his old home to face off against the Irish in what will be Senior Day for Notre Dame graduates. Will Notre Dame be 8-2 and vying for a spot in the College Football Playoff? Will Angeli have the chance to play spoiler against his old team? Only time will tell.
