Syracuse’s quarterback room looks a lot different heading into 2026, and that matters because last season showed just how fast things can fall apart when the depth chart gets tested.
Steve Angeli is back after a 2025 season that started with promise and ended with him sidelined by a torn Achilles in September against Clemson. Before the injury, he had become one of the biggest stories in the country, going from a largely unknown transfer to the national passing leader. That surge was especially notable considering how little he had done before arriving at Syracuse: just 80 career pass attempts, plus that College Football Playoff moment at Notre Dame when he filled in for an injured Riley Leonard and guided a game-winning drive against Penn State.
The drop-off after Angeli went down was steep. Rickie Collins, who had been in a battle with Angeli for the starting job before the opener against Tennessee, struggled badly once he was forced into action.
Syracuse even turned to walk-on Joseph Filardi, who is at the school on a lacrosse scholarship, and true freshman Luke Carney got a few snaps as well. The result was an eight-game losing streak to close a 3-9 season.
Now the Orange are trying to make sure that kind of collapse is harder to repeat. Carney transferred to Houston, Collins moved on to Kennesaw State and Filardi sits deep on the depth chart. In their place, Fran Brown added three experienced options: Amari Odom from Kennesaw State, Malachi Nelson from UTEP and Danny Lauter from Georgetown.
Odom is the name that jumps out first. He should be the primary backup to Angeli, and he could also carve out a role in Jeff Nixon’s offense as a change-of-pace runner and short-yardage option.
This past season, he ran for 467 yards and seven touchdowns, not counting sacks, and he also put the ball on the ground 10 times. Even with the turnover issue, he helped lead the Owls to a Conference USA title in his second year as the starter.
Nelson brings a different kind of intrigue. He was the No. 1 recruit in the 2022 class, a prospect who drew offers from all the major programs before choosing Lincoln Riley and USC.
After redshirting there, he transferred to Boise State for 2024 instead of staying to compete with Miller Moss, but he lost the job to Maddux Madsen and barely saw the field. His next stop was UTEP, where he started six games, threw more interceptions than touchdowns and eventually lost the starting role again.
He has two years of eligibility left, and while nothing so far says he is ready to start at the Power 5 level, he gives Syracuse another arm with a chance to develop.
Lauter adds one more layer of depth after playing in parts of three seasons at Georgetown.
The big question is whether this group is actually better than the one Syracuse had a year ago. That may never need to be answered if Angeli stays healthy.
When he was on the field, the offense looked dangerous, and the Orange would love to see what he can do over a full season. If they do need help behind him, though, Odom, Nelson and Lauter at least arrive with more experience than the group that was forced into action last fall.
In Other News...
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Boeheims Army heads into its quarterfinal matchup with La Familia carrying a roster picture that looks thinner than it did a few days ago. Eric Devendorf is unavailable after hurting his knee in the previous round, while Chris McCullough also will not be in uniform for Sundays game, leaving the Syracuse-backed group to adjust its rotation on the fly in The Basketball Tournament.
The good news is Wes Johnson is active and could help stabilize the front line, but there is still some uncertainty around Jacorey Williams, who is listed as questionable. With the margin for error shrinking in a win-or-go-home setting, the Army has at least been weighing whether to add help from its reserve list, though no new player had been added by Sunday morning. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuse Is Being Written Off Too Early This Season
Syracuse heads into the 2026 season with Fran Brown entering his third year and a roster that looks different after a busy offseason, all while trying to move past a frustrating 3-9 finish in 2025. The Orange also have Steve Angeli back in position to lead the offense after his injury-hit 2025, giving the program at least one clear place to start as it tries to reset expectations.
Still, the outside view has been pretty chilly, with analysts and sportsbooks slotting Syracuse near the bottom of the pack and CBS Sports going as far as projecting another 3-9 type of season. Angeli, though, seems to be leaning into the skepticism, treating the preseason doubt as something the Orange can use as fuel while they navigate a schedule that will test them early and often. [Read more 🡒]
Boeheims Army Faces A Major Availability Concern Before Quarterfinal
Boeheims Army heads into Fridays quarterfinal in Lexington with the kind of matchup that tends to define The Basketball Tournament: a Syracuse-alumni group facing a Kentucky-heavy roster in La Familia, with a spot in the semifinals on the line. The game will air on Fox at 2 p.m., and the winner moves on to meet either the Aftershocks or JHX Hoops, but the bigger immediate concern for the Orange-connected side is simply getting through the day in good shape.
Availability has already become part of the storyline on both benches, with Boeheims Army missing Eric Devendorf and La Familia dealing with Willie Cauley-Steins foot injury. Buddy Boeheim also had a brief ankle scare in practice before returning quickly, which only adds to the sense that this quarterfinal could hinge as much on who can stay upright as on which alumni group handles the pressure better in a packed Lexington setting. [Read more 🡒]