Going into the season, Saturday’s matchup between Notre Dame and Syracuse came with perhaps more intrigue than normal.
It was supposed to be an opportunity for Steve Angeli to face his former Fighting Irish teammates after transferring to Syracuse and winning the starting quarterback job.
However, Angeli suffered a season-ending torn Achilles during Syracuse’s 34-21 win at Clemson on Sept. 20.
So while Angeli won’t be a part of this year’s game, Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman hopes to get a chance to talk with the player he coached for three seasons in South Bend.
“If he makes this trip, I would love to see him,” Freeman said Monday. “This game’s bigger –– I know we’re evaluated off wins and losses, but for me in my position, it’s about people. And it’s about helping young people ultimately have success, right? On and off the field.”
“Steve is a guy that gave everything he’s got into this place when he was here. And like I told him when he decided to leave, the relationship between a coach and a player doesn’t stop when you’re gone. I’m always supporting him. I was so happy when I found out he was named starter and watched him do some successful things. I reached out to him when he got hurt. So I would love to see him and just hug him, right, just because you care about him. I hope he’s able to make the trip.”
Recruited by former Notre Dame coaches Brian Kelly and Tommy Rees, Angeli first committed to the Irish in 2021 as a 6-foot-3, four-star recruit out of Bergen Catholic in Oradell, N.J. Through the coaching change to Freeman, he kept his pledge to Notre Dame and joined the team for the 2022 season.
Angeli never won the full-time starting job, backing up Drew Pyne, Sam Hartman and Riley Leonard during his three seasons. But he saw game action in a number of blowouts and started Notre Dame’s 40-8 win over Oregon State in the 2023 Sun Bowl.
Across three seasons, he appeared in 21 games and completed 58-of-80 passes for 772 yards, 10 touchdowns, and one interception. He also led a field goal drive during Notre Dame’s College Football Playoff win over Penn State.
Angeli entered a three-man competition for Notre Dame’s starting quarterback job during spring practice alongside CJ Carr and Kenny Minchey. But on April 17, reports surfaced that Angeli would enter the transfer portal.
That made way for Carr to win the starting job, and for Angeli to get his first full-time starting opportunity at Syracuse. He got off to a huge start, leading Syracuse to a 3-1 record while completing 62.8% of his passes for 1,317 yards, 10 touchdowns, and two interceptions.
But rather than getting a shot to face his old team, Angeli can only watch Saturday’s game due to injury. Kickoff from Notre Dame Stadium is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET on NBC.
