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Aug 30, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Syracuse Orange quarterback Steve Angeli (9) rolls out of the pocket against the Tennessee Volunteers in the first quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images
While the Syracuse Orange will enter the 2026 season with plenty of new names on offense, the key to the unit succeeding will count on its returning starting quarterback, who one outlet believes is in the top 50 at the position.
The Athletic released its full rankings of projected starting QBs for all 138 FBS teams. Angeli, who will be entering his second year with the Orange, is in Tier 4 at the No. 44 spot (#brand).
Among ACC quarterbacks, The Athletic ranked Angeli as the sixth-best in the conference. The top-five ACC QBs entering the 2026 season (from first to fifth) are Miami’s Darian Mensah (No. 4), California’s Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele (No. 14), SMU’s Kevin Jennings (No. 15), NC State’s CJ Bailey (No. 17), and Pittsburgh’s Mason Heintschel (No. 23).
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Other notable, non-ACC QBs ranked in Tier 4 include Michigan’s Bryce Underwood, Texas Tech’s Will Hammond, and Kansas State’s Avery Johnson. Here is how The Athletic determined who it considered to be in this group:
“Some of the stars of tomorrow, like inexperienced QBs who coaches believe in but lack a proven resume, and there are also veterans who are looking to redeem themselves and journeymen looking to make the most of their last stops,” The Athletic wrote.
The last line best describes Angeli.
After two seasons playing sparingly with Notre Dame, Angeli transferred to Syracuse and was named the starting man under center. He went 98/156 (62.8%) for 1,317 yards, 10 touchdowns, and two interceptions in 3.5 games before missing the rest of the 2025 campaign due to a torn Achilles. Before his injury, Angeli played like one of the best passers in the country.
Heading into 2026, Angeli will look to be back on the field and help the Syracuse offense bounce back after it really struggled during his absence, which The Athletic noted in its analysis of the returning QB. After Angeli’s injury, Syracuse ended 2025 with eight straight losses and never scored more than 20 points in any of its remaining games.
Using The Athletic’s rankings, here is where every projected starter the Orange is expected to face is listed (writer’s note: players in order based on who Syracuse faces first on the schedule):
- New Hampshire: N/A
- California: Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele (Tier 2, No. 14)
- Pittsburgh: Mason Heintschel (Tier 3, No. 23)
- UConn: Jake Merklinger (Tier 7, No. 102)
- Virginia: Beau Pribula (Tier 4, No. 46)
- Louisville: Lincoln Kienholz (Tier 4, No. 54)
- North Carolina: Billy Edwards Jr. (Tier 6, No. 68)
- SMU: Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele (Tier 2, No. 15)
- Clemson: Christopher Vizzina (Tier 4, No. 53)
- NC State: CJ Bailey (Tier 3, No. 17)
- Boston College: Mason McKenzie (Tier 7, No. 103)
- Notre Dame: CJ Carr (Tier 1, No. 3)
According to The Athletic, Syracuse’s 2026 schedule includes four top-20 QBs and five top-25, the highest ranked being Carr at No. 3. The Orange do face six opponents who have QBs ranked lower than Angeli, although half of the group is ranked in the same tier as Syracuse’s QB.
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