After a hard-fought quarterback battle this spring, senior Steve Angeli has announced his decision to enter the transfer portal. The rising senior threw for 772 yards during his time with the Irish, highlighted by his memorable 6-of-7, 44-yard performance against Penn State in the Orange Bowl as he stepped in late in the first half to replace the injured Riley Leonard. Angeli’s poise helped reinvigorate Notre Dame and put three vital points on the board before the first half drew to a close — a pivotal moment in a narrow 27-24 win for the Irish.
The news of Angeli’s decision comes shortly after head coach Marcus Freeman stated following the Blue-Gold Game, “you would like to be able to kind of go in the fall with a two-quarterback battle. It’s really hard having a three-quarterback battle.”
Angeli’s lone start for Notre Dame came in the 2024 Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl against Oregon State. Angeli threw for 232 yards and three touchdowns on 15-of-19 passing, proving that he was more than capable of playing at a high level.
However, a long-term starting role at Notre Dame never materialized for Angeli. After Sam Hartman’s one-year stint as a starter following his transfer from Wake Forest, the Irish then called upon highly touted Duke transfer Leonard for 2024. Although Angeli appeared in 11 games throughout Notre Dame’s memorable season, Leonard remained the locked-in starter.
Even in a backup role, Angeli garnered praise from teammates, coaches and fans alike for exemplifying what it means to be a Notre Dame student-athlete.
Freeman praised Angeli for his heroics in the Penn State game, saying, “We’ve got a lot of confidence in Steve, and those other guys that had to step up, when their numbers are called. They’ve earned that confidence in practice, and Steve’s earned it in some game opportunities.”
Following Notre Dame’s loss to Ohio State in the National Championship, questions arose about which of their three talented quarterbacks who sat behind Leonard would receive the nod to start.
Kenny Minchey and CJ Carr were each ranked among the top quarterback recruits in their respective high school classes, forming another uphill battle for Angeli. Though the senior got off to a slow start in the Blue-Gold game, he found his rhythm as the game moved along. Meanwhile, both younger signal-callers impressed throughout.
With Angeli now officially in the transfer portal, the quarterback race will remain open between Minchey and Carr. This means that the Irish will open their season at Miami with a quarterback who has yet to make a collegiate start if they do not pick up a new field general in the transfer portal. Moving forward with either inexperienced quarterback is a bold move by Freeman, but it’s not to say that it hasn’t been done before. Freeman fielded an offensive line with a combined total of six starts in the Irish’s season-opener away at Texas A&M last season, a courageous move that ended up working out well for Notre Dame.
As for Angeli, it remains unclear where he will transfer. He held offers from Arizona, Boston College, Rutgers and 19 others coming out of high school. Another possible option could be Tennessee after their star quarterback Nico Iamaleava unexpectedly left the program. Angeli has two years of eligibility remaining.
