Syracuse football starting quarterback Steve Angeli says that he's feeling great, looking forward to the upcoming season and has put last year in the rear-view mirror.
The 6-foot-3, 212-pound Angeli was leading the country in total passing yards last September when he ruptured his Achilles tendon amid the Orange's win at Clemson that pushed SU's record to 3-1. Syracuse football, which struggled at quarterback for the remainder of the 2025 campaign, would lose eight straight to finish at a disappointing 3-9.
Angeli said that during his nine to 10 months of rehab, he's gotten to know his teammates better, and he fell in love with Syracuse University. He noted that head coach Fran Brown always made him feel involved in the program, despite being injured.
"It takes a village," Angeli, the redshirt senior from Westfield, N.J., said on Thursday at the annual ACC Kickoff event in Charlotte, N.C. He praised Brown, other SU coaches and the strength and conditioning staff for aiding him along his rehab journey after getting injured.
The quarterback position is arguably the most important position in team sports, but not every signal-caller is a leader of his team. Angeli, clearly, takes being a leader to heart.
"The biggest thing for me being a leader on this team...is making sure guys know how much I care about them as a person.”@SteveAngeli_125 on being a leader for @cusefb. 🍊 pic.twitter.com/VbNJiocg8M
— ACC Football (@ACCFootball) July 16, 2026
He said on Thursday: "The biggest thing for me being a leader on this team ... is making sure guys know how much I care about them as a person."
I'm not crying - you're crying. All kidding aside, Brown praised Angeli for his leadership traits. The Orange head coach said that as Angeli was rehabbing, he became another coach for the SU program. "His heart got bigger. He's like me. He has a huge heart and loves everyone on the team. He wants everyone to be the best version of themselves."
Syracuse football starting QB Steve Angeli takes leadership to heart.
Angeli says that Brown is always checking in on his players, both on and off the field. Angeli believes that, as a leader of this Orange squad, he needs to do the same. "On the field, the work takes care of itself. At Syracuse, we work our tails off," Angeli said.
Away from the field, though, it has been important for Angeli to lead by example and get to know his teammates on a deeper personal level. It sounds like he and his 'Cuse teammates have developed a strong bond, and that can only help them as they attempt to get back to a bowl game after a subpar 2025 campaign.
Naturally, Orange Nation wants Angeli to be fully healthy in the upcoming 2026 season. However, if that doesn't transpire, the 'Cuse does seem to be better prepared with the rest of its quarterback room, as compared to 2025.
The primary backup will likely be redshirt junior Amari Odom, a transfer from Kennesaw State who resided on the All-Conference USA first team last year. Other Syracuse football QBs in 2026 are UTEP transfer Malachi Nelson, a former five-star prospect and the No. 1 overall player in the 2023 class per ESPN, and Georgetown transfer Danny Lauter.
But all eyes will be front and center on Angeli. He's the heart and soul of this team, and if he replicates what he was doing through four games last season in 2026, the Orange is well-positioned to right the ship following a rough 2025.
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