One of the rising teams in college football is Syracuse football under Fran Brown, as the Orange look to continue their upward trajectory in 2025 after a strong 2024 campaign.

Of course, Syracuse was led last season by the stellar play of quarterback Kyle McCord, who is now looking to find his footing in the NFL after a great season in New York after transferring there from Ohio State. Now, Brown and his staff have been overseeing a quarterback competition this offseason between a pair of transfers in Steve Angeli and Rickie Collins.

On Monday, Syracuse named Angeli its starting quarterback to begin the 2025 season, according to ESPN's Pete Thamel.

“Sources: Syracuse has named Notre Dame transfer Steve Angeli the starting quarterback, and he’ll debut for the Orange against No. 24 Tennessee in the opener in Atlanta,” Thamel reported on X, formerly Twitter. “Angeli, a redshirt junior, narrowly beat out LSU transfer Rickie Collins, who played well during camp.”

Angeli saw limited action for Notre Dame last season while backing up Riley Leonard, but Irish fans were very high on his potential to be the starting QB of the future when Leonard departed. Now, after Angeli transferred out of South Bend following spring practice, Marcus Freeman is staging a quarterback competition of his own between CJ Carr and Kenny Minchey.

Now, Fran Brown and company are hoping that Angeli can have a similar effect for Syracuse that McCord did last season. It won't be easy, as the Orange open the season with a neutral-site clash against Tennessee on Aug. 30, but this is still a talented group that can be a tough out for just about anyone.

Syracuse is bringing a lot of momentum into this season after winning its final four games of the year in 2024, including a dramatic comeback to take down Miami in an epic contest to end the regular season and then a 52-35 win over Washington State in the Holiday Bowl. If Angeli is the quarterback that Brown hopes that he is, the Orange have a chance to compete for the ACC title in 2025.

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