Marcus Freeman will take on Syracuse next weekend. But they’re not just any rivals. Syracuse now hosts a former Notre Dame player, who has some grounds to have bad blood with Freeman. He came to Syracuse looking for a better chance, but was sadly dealt with a tough turn in his career. Freeman is now extending a helping hand to his former player.

Angeli is unfortunately out for the season due to an injury, following a surgery on his torn Achilles tendon in September. He left Notre Dame since the QB1 battle there turned into a 3-man battle, which was leaning towards CJ Carr. Ahead of the Irish visiting Syracuse, Freeman expressed his thoughts on Angeli. “I told him when he decided to leave, the relationship between a coach and player doesn’t stop once you’re gone,” he said at a recent presser.

At Notre Dame, Steve Angeli had hoped to replace Riley Leonard this season. But he had to fight off CJ Carr and Kenny Minchey for the role. Freeman preferred the QB1 fight to come down to 2 contenders, and soon after, Angeli entered the portal. Hauling in 1,257 yards and 10 TDs in just 4 games is proof that Freeman lost a great talent in Angeli. But the coach still has the best interests for the QB. “I would love to see him and hug him, because I care about him,” Freeman said.

His exit from South Bend was inevitable, and Freeman has maintained that he respected Angeli’s decision. “I’m a huge fan of Steve Angeli — huge fan. … I support him because it was the right decision for Steve,” he told the press before the season. At Notre Dame, Angeli had led the Irish to a bowl game victory in 2023, and also led an important scoring drive in the Natty semi-finals last year.

At Syracuse, Angeli bagged the QB1 role from Rickie Collins, who was already named the starter for the season. He might have been the spark for Syracuse this year, as the Orange has been on a losing streak ever since then. Syracuse is also out of bowl game contention, as only 2 more games remain. Marcus Freeman, however, will still get to see Steve Angeli in the future. Syracuse is already set to play Notre Dame in 2026, and the QB will hopefully hold on to his QB1 hat. The decision was a big one for Angeli, but it was for the best.

Steve Angeli on his exit from Notre Dame

Notre Dame and Steve Angeli’s breakup might seem messy. He was the most experience QB of the lot, and delivered when Notre Dame needed him to in the past. However, with Carr impressing audiences and building hype, Freeman had to make his decision. “I understood that making a move and entering the portal, as a grad transfer, would have been the best opportunity for me…It’s business. It’s business. Everything happens for a reason,” Angeli told the Daily Orange.

Though Angeli and Freeman are under different roofs now, the HC continues to hold him in high regard. “I’m always supporting him. I was so happy when I found out he was named starter and watched him do some successful things,” Freeman said of the QB. Carr has proven to be a good choice for the HC, as fights to keep Notre Dame’s playoff hopes alive. But Angeli could also write a better script for himself, if his time was not cut short.

Next year, when Angeli does meet Freeman, the duo will finally get a chance to look back on their time together at Notre Dame. There’s no bad blood between the two, as they seem to have moved on from that tough call.