Steve Angeli and the silver lining in losing a season at Syracuse

Finding positives from your starting quarterback suffering a torn Achilles tendon in the midst of one of your program’s biggest wins of the past decade is not easy. Steve Angeli will miss the rest of the 2025 season, and there is no guarantee that he will be ready to start the 2026 campaign.

However, it is not all bad. Well, perhaps just not as bad as it seems at first glance. As I wrote about earlier this week, Rickie Collins is a capable backup who can replicate much of what Angeli was capable of doing in this offense. He is not quite as polished a passer, but he can operate from the pocket and continue to push the ball down the field to his athletic cadre of receivers.

Looking a bit further ahead, Syracuse might have its quarterback of the future already in the building. Angeli plans to apply for a medical redshirt, which he should be approved for. This was the Orange’s fourth game of the season, and the NCAA typically outlines redshirt seasons as a player not participating in more than four regular-season games. That means that Angeli, who was in his fourth season of college football as a redshirt junior, should have two more years of eligibility remaining. It theoretically opens the door for Angeli to be the starting quarterback through the 2027 season.

Angeli's return would provide consistency

In an era of college football where roster stability is at an all-time low, this could be a massive boon for coach Fran Brown and an appealing selling point for donors, transfers and high school recruits.

Angeli was off to an excellent start to the 2025 campaign. He led the nation in passing yards, narrowly edging out Baylor’s Sawyer Robertson, heading into the clash with Clemson. Even after playing less than three full quarters in this game, he ended up only four yards behind Robertson after the week was over.

Call it proof of concept. Jeff Nixon’s scheme is clearly very quarterback-friendly. Kyle McCord led the nation in passing yards in 2024, beating out Cam Ward by 466 yards. Receivers are feasting as well. Orande Gadsden posted historic numbers, parlaying his college success into a spot with the Chargers. Looking at this year’s crew, Darrell Gill ranks 28th nationally in receiving yards. Dan Villari and Johntay Cook are both in the top 100 as well. Meanwhile, Justus Ross-Simmons is tied for second in the country with five receiving touchdowns.

In an era where seemingly everyone enters the transfer portal, Syracuse is going to be a very appealing landing spot. Having a talented, veteran quarterback on the team for the next year or two, plus the opportunity to rack up statistics that get you noticed by NFL scouts is hard to ignore. It has worked out well so far for Angeli, Cook and Ross-Simmons.

This all could help Syracuse down the road

The key to all of this is Brown sticking with the program as well. He has repeatedly stated his intent to stay in Central New York, but with many big-time programs struggling, Florida, Wisconsin and Arkansas come to mind, Brown is going to be a hot commodity. He has pulled Syracuse back into the national spotlight, has experience in the SEC and is viewed as an elite culture builder and recruiter. There will be schools out there with significantly deeper pockets who will want Brown to be their next head coach.

If Brown stays, Syracuse has a legitimate chance to build a conference championship-caliber team. The Orange has not won a conference title since 2012, when it shared the regular season crown with three other teams in the final year of the old Big East. Winning the conference would also likely mean a trip to the College Football Playoff.

Make no mistake, this is far from ideal. However, the repercussions could work out in SU's favor. The focus will be on Collins and the players on the field moving forward, but keep in mind Angeli’s status when the transfer portal opens at the end of the year.

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