Fran Brown says Steve Angeli is his starting QB as the Orange head to UConn

Brown said Monday Angeli will start, but also expect backup Amari Odom to play, in the heralded debut of WR Calvin Russell III.

Syracuse coach Fran Brown speaks with the media Monday at the Lally Athletics Complex, prior to the Orange's road game this week against UConn. | Screen shot courtesy of Syracuse University Athletic Communications

Fran Brown got slightly testy Monday when grilled by the media on a number of topics following the only open weekend of the 2026 season, sitting with a 1-2 / 0-2 mark.

From the importance of his decision on whom the starting quarterback will be for this week's non-league road game Saturday at Connecticut (12:00 p.m. ET / CBS Sports Network), the fast timing of the return of five-star freshman WR Calvin Russell III from a torn Achilles injury suffered March 30, confirming freshman Shay Barker is the new kicker, and the overall malaise surrounding the fan base, a group that is just as anxious as those inside the Lally complex to start winning games.

Angeli is the starter but reading between the lines, expect to see Odom on the field Saturday as well

Of course it was the first query thrown Brown's way Monday, who will first face the UConn (1-2) defense? But Brown's responses on the subject of QB No. 1 clearly revealed that he had not spent nearly as much time pondering the question as the media and fan base.

Through three games, Angeli sits 47th nationally in passing (57-of-104 for 727 yards and four TDs along with five INTs), appears to not run quite as nimbly as in 2025, and also had plenty of mental adjustments to make for himself and as the games and live contact unfurled in real time.

Odom came in during the fourth quarter of the September 17 loss (23-17) at Pittsburgh, completing all eight of his passes for 51-yards, showed his running ability, and quick release strike of an arm. He is 10-of-11 in reserve duty on the season accounting for one TD.

"We're going to stick with what we've been doing at quarterback," Brown led off Monday, without ever mentioning either of Angeli's or Odom's name.

"But we have a mixture of wanting to try and play more than one guy," Brown added. "I am excited about our guys, and the competition we have here, and happy we do have other quarterbacks that can come in and play."

The highly anticipated debut of Florida five-star freshman phenom Calvin Russell III

As we have written with his teammates, coaching staff, and Orange Nation anxiously awaiting his collegiate gridiron debut in an Orange uniform, Russell is expected to set foot on the field in East Hartford Saturday afternoon, just over six months after suffering the Achilles injury during practice on March 30.

A lighting fast recovery.

When asked about any second guessing or concerns about having Russell play in one of the shortest time spans doctors say a patient can recover from such an injury, Brown cut right to the chase.

"The doctor cleared him," Brown said confused about a potential issue on risking the safety of anyone of his players.

"The doctor cleared him, I am not a doctor so I just sit on the side and wait (for their clearance). The doctor (Dr. Martin O'Malley-Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City) who did his surgery, cleared him to play football."

Brown wants to play Russell as much as Saturday's game plan and in-game situations warrant against the Huskies.

Everyone knows everyone in both the Syracuse and Connecticut football buildings

First year UConn coach Jason Candle came over after a decade leading Toledo, where SU DC Vince Kehres served as his defensive coordinator for six seasons, both under the watchful eye of AD Bryan Blair, that is until he accepted the SU job replacing John Wildhack this past March 12.

Throw in the fact that longtime Brown colleague and assistant Nunzio Campanile accepted Candle's invitation to take the UConn OC reins last spring, and there is plenty of familiarity stretching from Syracuse to Storrs.

"Nunz's is a good dude, a great coach, as are all of those guys (at UConn), but I am just focusing on us, Brown said. "There's a lot of relationships (between the staffs) but I am only focused on us and competing this week to be 1-0. I will wish them (Huskie coaches the best after the game."

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