The predictions from national recruiting analysts rang true for Syracuse football and a transfer quarterback who just made this position group much more interesting - and perhaps more drama-filled - as spring practices are over and the Orange program will turn toward summer workouts and then preseason camp.
Notre Dame junior Steve Angeli, a three-star, top-20 quarterback in the transfer portal, had visited the 'Cuse on Monday. On Tuesday, multiple experts on the 247Sports Web site and the On3 Web site forecast that the Orange would ultimately land the 6-foot-3, 205-pound Angeli, who was pursued by the 'Cuse in high school, too.
On Wednesday evening, Angeli said via his X page that he had committed to Syracuse football and its head coach, ace recruiter Fran Brown. A huge congrats and welcome from 'Cuse Nation to Steve, who like numerous other Orange players and coaches, including Brown, hail from New Jersey.
BREAKING: Notre Dame transfer Steve Angeli, a 3-star, top-20 quarterback in the portal who hails from New Jersey, commits to Syracuse football. A huge congrats and welcome from Orange Nation to @SteveAngeli_125. Oh, and SU heads to national runner-up Notre Dame on November 22. 🎯 https://t.co/CI3vj4NwL6
— InsideTheLoudHouse (@LoudHouseFS) April 23, 2025
In the 2024 season, Angeli saw limited action, completing 66.7 percent of his passes for 268 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. The Fighting Irish went 14-2 overall and reached the championship game of the 12-team College Football Playoff, where Notre Dame fell to Ohio State.
Syracuse football has added more depth to its quarterback room for the next term.
On Wednesday night, in national transfer rankings via 247Sports and On3, Angeli arrived as three stars, in the top 250 nationwide and in the top 20 at quarterback. As a prep prospect, he shined for Bergen Catholic High School in Oradell, N.J., where his head coach was Vito Campanile. Campanile, by the way, is the brother of Nunzio Campanile, the Orange's offensive associate head coach/quarterbacks coach.
Within the 2022 class, the industry-generated 247Sports Composite had Angeli as four stars, No. 365 nationally, No. 21 at quarterback and No. 4 in New Jersey. According to 247Sports, he held more than 20 scholarship offers from schools such as Notre Dame, Boston College, Georgia Tech, Iowa, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Virginia Tech and West Virginia, among others.
The former Syracuse football staff, before Brown came on board as head coach, offered Angeli a scholarship on February 17, 2021, according to his X account.
I am honored and blessed to have received an offer from Syracuse University 🍊! #GoOrange @CoachBabersCuse @_CoachGilbert @CoachReynolds81 @bccoachvito @EQBcoach pic.twitter.com/RyOPBV7NDk
— Steve Angeli (@SteveAngeli_125) February 17, 2021
Okay. So looking ahead to the 2025 season, the 'Cuse quarterback group includes Angeli, rising redshirt sophomore Rickie Collins, a three-star transfer from LSU, rising redshirt freshman Jakhari Williams and true freshmen Luke Carney from the Dallas area and Rich Belin from New York City.
Not too long ago, Brown named Collins as the team's starting quarterback for the upcoming stanza. Earlier this month, Collins didn't play in the Orange's annual spring game due to a right thumb injury.
With Angeli on board, could that create a more heightened competition for the Syracuse football starting quarterback spot as we move toward preseason camp in the coming months? We'll see.
The current transfer portal window in college football runs through April 25. Could a quarterback who is presently on the Orange's roster hit the portal? Perhaps.
One other thing to note here. Syracuse football will travel to Notre Dame for a non-conference encounter on Saturday, Nov 22. Amid Angeli transferring from the Fighting Irish to the 'Cuse, that late November match-up just got even more tantalizing.