The Syracuse Orange were blessed with elite quarterback play in Fran Brown’s first season as head coach in 2024. When Brown was hired, he immediately went to work in the transfer portal and signed former Ohio State Buckeye Kyle McCord, who exploded for the Orange, leading the entire nation in passing yards last season.
At the end of the 2024 season, McCord declared for the NFL Draft, and Syracuse again looked at the transfer portal for their next starting quarterback, bringing in LSU’s Rickie Collins. Despite Brown naming Collins the starter at the end of the spring, the Orange signed another quarterback, Steve Angeli, who had previously been with Notre Dame.
Now, a Syracuse insider is saying that Angeli isn’t a backup plan, and that Brown is looking at all options for Syracuse’s starting quarterback next season.
Steve Angeli Will Compete for Syracuse QB1 Job, One Analyst Says
Syracuse insider Mike McAllister appeared on the “Cover Three” podcast to discuss the Orange’s offseason thus far. He broke down the quarterback battle and explained why Syracuse signed Steve Angeli after already naming Rickie Collins the starter.
“Syracuse’s job is to get the best quarterback that they can right now. They need to add someone to the quarterback room. Their job is to add the best one that they can get. It’s not to get someone who is good enough to be a solid backup but not good enough to replace Rickie Collins, so that Rickie Collins’ feelings aren’t hurt,” McAllister said.
It’s harsh but fair, as Collins hasn’t exactly proven anything at the college level thus far. In his two seasons with LSU, Collins threw seven passes for 38 yards. This doesn’t mean that Collins won’t be great for Syracuse, but he isn’t experienced.
Angeli has more experience than Collins, but still not a lot. He appeared in 21 games and threw for 772 yards and 10 touchdowns in his three years with Notre Dame. McAllister explained that the two quarterbacks bring different things to the table for Syracuse’s offense.
“Angeli sort of mirrors what Kyle McCord is, the pocket passer that can sit back and kind of read the defense and go through his progressions, is going to be comfortable back there,” McAllister said.
He later added, “Whereas if you have Rickie Collins, yeah, he has great arm talent, but what separates him in his talent as a quarterback is his ability to be mobile.”
Fran Brown still hasn’t made a definitive statement on who the starter will be since the Orange added Angeli, but the battle will likely carry on throughout the summer and into fall camp at Syracuse.
After a fairly successful first year of the Fran Brown era, culminating in a 10-3 record and a Holiday Bowl victory, the Orange are looking to disrupt the ACC in 2025. This season, they’ll kick off the slate with Tennessee in Atlanta on August 30.
They’ll also have match-ups with Clemson, SMU, Pittsburgh, North Carolina, Miami, Notre Dame, and Boston College.
