It’s no secret that the Syracuse football season in 2025 collapsed with the injury to Steve Angeli. There’s no telling what could have happened if he had stayed healthy following the Orange’s upset of Clemson.
Without Angeli, Fran Brown simply had no answer at quarterback. But the head coach has no intention of letting that happen again. He spent the offseason completely revamping the quarterback room, while also hoping for Angeli to come back healthy. With the season right around the corner, it’s time to look at the most important position on the field.
The starter
If you look at the clock in Syracuse, you’ll learn two things. First, Georgetown still sucks. Second, it’s Peanut Butter Angeli time again. All signs point to Angeli being fully healed from the Achilles injury that ended his 2025 season and effectively ended Syracuse’s 2025 season. Before the injury, Angeli was leading the nation in passing yards and had helped the Orange build a big lead in the eventual win over Clemson.
“When you have people like that in your program that care about you … from the physical, to the mental, to playing the game of football. It really did wonders for me.”
— ACC Network (@accnetwork) August 20, 2026
Steve Angeli discusses his road back to being QB1 of @CuseFootball 🍊 pic.twitter.com/RKSITzbW7h
As long as he’s healthy, Angeli will be the starter. Of course, there are bound to be some questions about any lingering effects from the injury. Angeli was never the most mobile quarterback before the injury, so if the Syracuse offensive line doesn’t hold up, he may not have the easiest time escaping. Also, Angeli still has just five career starts (one at Notre Dame), so he’s still not among the most experienced quarterbacks in the ACC. Nevertheless, if Angeli is healthy, there is hope for the Orange.
The backups
If something happens to Angeli, there are options, starting with Kennesaw State transfer Amari Odom. He started most of the season in 2024 for FCS squad Wofford before transferring to Kennesaw State last year. Odom made 10 starts for the Owls, leading them to the Conference USA championship and earning MVP honors in the title game. His success and experience at the lower levels of college football should make Odom a viable backup who could one day become the starter at Syracuse.
Malachi Nelson is another quarterback Brown brought in to serve as depth. Nelson’s odyssey has been well chronicled, as he was once the top high school recruit in the nation. However, Syracuse is now Nelson’s fourth school in four years. He saw little action at USC in 2023 or Boise State in 2024.
QB Malachi Nelson (prev: UTEP, Boise State, and USC) on why he chose SU:
— Samantha Croston (@SamCrostonTV) August 6, 2026
"Competition is why I play football. Fran, when we first talked, he was like, 'Look…It’s not going to be an easy road for you, but you’re going to have a shot.' That’s all I wanted to hear.” 🍊 pic.twitter.com/PigbrF9Gaa
Last year, Nelson was at UTEP, starting six games. In those six games, Nelson threw eight touchdown passes and nine interceptions, completing fewer than 55% of his passes. He’s the definition of a wild card, as Nelson has the talent to be a big-time quarterback but has never been able to put everything together. With two years of eligibility left, time is running out, but there is a chance he can finally fulfill his potential.
One final player to know in what could be a non-stop battle for the backup job is Danny Lauter. He spent the last four years at Georgetown, starting 14 games for the Hoyas. It was obviously a lower level of college football, but that experience should serve him well if he’s called upon to play for the Orange.
The rest
The depth at quarterback extends even beyond Odom, Nelson, and Lauter. After starting three games last season, Joe Filardi is still in the quarterback room. Brown was high on his potential last year, although Filardi was clearly over his head in the games that he played. He’ll likely go from starting last year’s season finale to being fifth on the depth chart, meaning Filardi will probably make more of an impact on the lacrosse field next year than he will on the football field.
Finally, there are sophomore Rich Belin and true freshman Zaid Lott. Even as Brown grasped at straws trying to find the right quarterback, Belin didn’t get a chance. That’s a good sign that he’s still well behind the other backups. As for Lott, he chose the Orange over several ACC rivals, so he could be someone to watch down the line. But he’s likely to be buried on the depth chart and spend most of his time on the scout team in 2026.
The skinny
With Angeli healthy, there is hope that he can pick up where he left off before he hobbled off the field at Clemson last season. If that happens, Syracuse could have one of the best quarterbacks in the ACC and genuine hope to reach a bowl game and enjoy a bounce-back season. However, there are no guarantees that Angeli can walk back on the field as if the injury didn’t happen, especially with questions about the supporting cast around him.
On the bright side, if Angeli struggles or suffers another injury, it won’t be the end of the world like it was in 2025. Odom was brought in because the coaching staff felt he could be the starter if Angeli wasn’t fully healed. Lauter could also be a viable option, while Nelson has high upside with very little risk. In short, Syracuse might have one of the deepest quarterback rooms in the country, although the focus heading into the season is undoubtedly on Angeli’s return.
Add us as a preferred source on Google