One injury changed everything for Syracuse football last season.
The Orange opened the year 3-1, stunned Clemson on the road and looked like one of the ACC’s biggest surprises. Then starting quarterback Steve Angeli went down, the offense disappeared, and Syracuse spiraled to a disappointing 3-9 finish.
Now, one of college football’s most respected analysts believes Fran Brown made sure that never happens again.
Appearing on Cuse Sports Talk, Phil Steele said Syracuse’s biggest offseason improvement wasn’t necessarily a star transfer or flashy recruit.
It was fixing the quarterback room.
“I absolutely love the addition of Amari Odum as the backup quarterback,” Steele said. “Odum is a guy that led Kennesaw State to great heights… he’s 6-foot-4, 205 pounds, can do it all. I love the fact that they’ve got the depth at the quarterback position. So something like last year can’t happen.”
That’s a significant endorsement.
Last season exposed just how thin Syracuse was behind Angeli. Once he was injured, the Orange’s offense cratered, averaging just 11 points per game over the final eight contests after scoring 38.3 points per game during the 3-1 start. Steele believes simply having a proven backup could completely change Syracuse’s ceiling in 2026.
Just as encouraging for Orange fans was Steele’s evaluation of Angeli himself.
When asked where Syracuse’s starter ranks among ACC quarterbacks, Steele didn’t hesitate.
“Definitely top five or six, especially if he stays healthy,” Steele said. “I was very impressed with what I saw out of him last year… 10 touchdown passes, just two interceptions… I think Steve Angeli is one of the better quarterbacks in the league.”
That’s lofty praise coming from arguably the most respected preseason magazine publisher in college football.
Steele also pointed to new defensive coordinator Vince Kehres as another major reason for optimism, saying he’s “extremely high” on the hire and predicting Syracuse will field one of the nation’s most improved defenses.
The only major concern?
The schedule.
Steele called it brutal, noting Syracuse could be underdogs in several home games against Clemson, SMU, Louisville and Notre Dame. But despite that, he said he’s “much more bullish” on the Orange than he was a year ago and believes they’re positioned to outperform expectations.
For a fan base wondering whether last season was a step backward or simply bad injury luck, Steele’s message was clear:
Fran Brown identified the program’s biggest weakness, fixed it, and now has a quarterback he believes can be one of the ACC’s best.
