Syracuse is sticking with Steve Angeli at quarterback for Saturday’s game against UConn, but Fran Brown made it clear the backup plan is alive and well.
Speaking Monday, Brown said the Orange will start Angeli again when they host the Huskies at noon ET, while also getting Amari Odom into the mix. Syracuse used its bye week to sort through the quarterback situation after Odom relieved Angeli against Pitt two weeks ago.
Angeli’s case starts with what he already proved in orange. The Notre Dame transfer arrived in 2025 and got his first real starting opportunity with Syracuse, guiding the team to a 3-1 record before tearing his Achilles in the fourth game of the season. In those four games, he looked calm under pressure and productive, finishing 98-for-156 passing, a 63 percent clip, with 10 touchdowns and two interceptions.
Then came the collapse after the injury. Syracuse dropped its final eight games of 2025, a stretch that made his importance impossible to ignore.
His return in 2026 brought optimism, but the numbers through three games tell a different story. Angeli is 57-for-104 for 731 yards, four touchdowns and five interceptions, including several costly second-half picks in losses to Cal and Pitt.
Still, he brings familiarity that matters. He knows the offense, the players around him and the level of competition, and the bye week gave him a chance to get healthier and take another look at the film.
Odom’s path is different, but it’s the kind of depth Brown went looking for after what happened to Syracuse at quarterback. The backup has played at Wofford and Kennesaw State, and last season he threw for 2,594 yards with 19 touchdowns while adding 347 rushing yards. He completed 64.9 percent of his passes and threw eight interceptions.
Kennesaw State won 10 games, went 7-1 in Conference USA and captured the league title game against Jacksonville State.
Against Pitt, Odom showed enough to keep this conversation going. The game was largely out of reach by the time he entered, with Syracuse trailing 27-10, but he went 7-of-7 for 44 yards, ran twice and helped the Orange get to a field goal. Brown’s message on Monday suggested Syracuse isn’t closing the door on him just yet.
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