Syracuse’s quarterback situation is still very much up in the air, and Fran Brown said Monday the picture should sharpen over the next 48 hours.
That matters because the Orange are heading toward Saturday night’s game against Louisville with real uncertainty around all three of the quarterbacks most directly affected by the recent injury wave: Steve Angeli, Amari Odom and Malachi Nelson. Brown did not rule any of them out, but he made clear that it is still too early to know who will be able to suit up.
“We’re working through stuff right now with all three of the quarterbacks,” Brown said. “I’ll find out a little bit more of that [Monday afternoon].”
Angeli, Syracuse’s opening week starter, is expected back at practice Tuesday or Wednesday after missing Saturday’s game. He had received a PRP injection for his left Achilles tendon, and Brown said the Achilles had been sore with fluid building in the area, which led surgeon Martin O’Malley to recommend the procedure. Brown said he hopes Angeli can play against Louisville if he is cleared to practice.
“Just gonna watch him practice,” Brown said. “Make sure that he’s able to protect himself. If he can protect himself then, hopefully, he can get an opportunity to play.”
Odom, who took over for Angeli in the fourth game of the season before going down with a shoulder injury, is still in treatment and will be evaluated further this week to determine whether he can throw. Brown did not say whether surgery might be needed.
“He’s just in treatment right now,” Brown said. “We want to wait a little bit to see how it heals up, how his body is. Everybody is a little different.”
Nelson’s status is also unsettled after he was forced to start in Syracuse’s 28-25 loss at Virginia and left late in the fourth quarter with an upper-body injury. Brown said after the game that Nelson had hurt his shoulder or collarbone, but Monday’s X-rays showed no broken bones. Nelson did not have any protective gear on when he was at Syracuse’s football facility Monday, and Brown said he hopes Nelson can practice this week.
If all three are unavailable, Syracuse would turn to Georgetown transfer Danny Lauter or freshman Zaid Lott.
Lauter already got work in relief on Saturday and helped lead the Orange to a touchdown that cut the deficit to three points. Brown praised the way he handled the moment.
“He did a really good job of just staying focused on the playbook,” Brown said. “It takes a lot of heart for a young man to all of a sudden being on preps teams early in the week and then getting called up and being able to go in.”
Lott, meanwhile, comes in with a strong prep résumé. A former three-star recruit from Providence Day in North Carolina, he was a state champion and threw for 2,497 yards and 35 touchdowns last season while also running for 708 yards and 13 touchdowns.
“He’s a good football player,” Brown said. “Comes from a good program.
“He fits right in and I think he’s got a bright future here at Syracuse.”
For now, Syracuse is preparing as if all five quarterbacks could be involved, with practices closed and Brown’s next update potentially coming Thursday night on his weekly radio show. He said everyone will continue to take starter-level reps and learn within Jeff Nixon’s system rather than being tailored to individual styles.
“We want everybody to understand and know that, ‘This guy next to me can play,’ ” Brown said. “You have to coach them like that and make sure you’re teaching them in the same way because [in] Week 5, our fourth-string quarterback went in there and threw a touchdown and a two-point conversion.”
Brown also said he hopes the way his quarterbacks have had to respond has sent a message to the rest of the roster.
“I hope it shows our entire football team that you should always continue to work,” Brown said. “And, when your number is called, to be ready, to prepare yourself because it happens that way. In the game of football, usually, they always say you’re one play away from being in.”
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