Syracuse’s quarterback room looks a lot sturdier now than it did a year ago, and that matters because the Orange have already lived through what happens when the backup plan falls apart.
Last September against Clemson, Steve Angeli went down and Rickie Collins stepped in immediately, hitting Justus Ross-Simmons for a touchdown on his very first snap. For a brief moment, it felt like Syracuse might have found enough behind Angeli to survive. A month later, Collins had been benched, and what started as a promising season had turned into a mess.
That history is why the Orange enter the 2026 camp with a real question at No. 2 quarterback. Angeli is still expected to hold the starting job, but Fran Brown made sure the room got a major overhaul. Syracuse brought in three transfer quarterbacks with starting experience: Amari Odom, Malachi Nelson and Danny Lauter.
The Athletic recently ranked the P4 backup quarterbacks and slotted Odom ninth overall, a strong sign for Syracuse if the team ever has to turn to its second option. Angeli has recovered from a torn Achilles tendon suffered in Week 4 last year, but the Orange should have better answers now if they need them. Odom was 7-2 as a starter and helped Kennesaw State win a Conference USA championship, completing 64.9 percent of his passes for 2,594 yards, 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions while also rushing for 347 yards and seven scores.
Syracuse also added former five-star Malachi Nelson, who has been at USC, Boise State and UTEP. Nothing is guaranteed, and the Orange know that as well as anyone. But if they have to go to the second quarterback again, Fran Brown and Jeff Nixon should feel a lot better about the options they have now.
In Other News...
Gerry McNamara Just Sent Syracuse Fans An Early Rebuild Signal
Gerry McNamara is already shaping Syracuses next roster with an eye on both the present and what comes after it, and the early signs point to a program trying to stay competitive without losing sight of the long game. The Orange have landed Jack Donohue, a 6-foot-8 three-star prospect from Massachusetts in the Class of 2027, a move that fits the idea of building out the front end of the pipeline while the staff continues working the current schedule and the broader shape of the team.
There is also more immediate roster business still hanging over the season, with Syracuse adding Cornell to the non-conference slate and finalizing other games around it. At the same time, the possibility of player departures after this year remains part of the conversation, which is why McNamaras approach feels like more than just a recruiting note. It reads as a signal that Syracuse is planning for both the lineup it has now and the one it may need to assemble soon after. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuse Leaders Think This Orange Team Is Far Better Than Expected
Syracuse is heading into its third season under Fran Brown with a different feel around the program, and sophomore linebacker Antoine Deslauriers sounds like one of the players helping drive it. He is expected to take on a bigger leadership role this fall, and he pointed to the arrival of new defensive coordinator Vince Kehres as a reason the Orange have been able to settle in and play with more speed and comfort on that side of the ball.
That matters because the outside expectations are still low, with Syracuse picked to finish 14th in the ACC. Deslauriers, though, has made it clear he believes the team is better than that forecast suggests, and his confidence reflects a defense that believes it has made real progress heading into the season. The question now is whether that internal belief shows up once the games begin. [Read more 🡒]
Fran Brown Is Already Leaning Into Syracuses Underdog Season
Fran Brown did not flinch at the way Syracuse was slotted in the ACC preseason chatter, and in some ways that is exactly the point. After a 3-9 finish last year, the Orange are being asked to prove they can climb out of the conference basement, but Brown sounded eager to use the low expectations as fuel as the season approaches.
Syracuse opens on Sept. 5 against New Hampshire, giving Brown and his team an early chance to show whether the outside skepticism is justified or badly misplaced. On the hoops side, Gerry McNamara already added Class of 2027 recruit Jack Donohue as the basketball program gets ready to tip off on Nov. 2, another reminder that there is plenty of Syracuse optimism to track across campus even as the football team tries to change its narrative first. [Read more 🡒]