The Syracuse University football team made a big splash in the transfer portal on Friday, securing a commitment from quarterback Malachi Nelson, who formerly played at UTEP. 

This is the third quarterback that Syracuse has landed in the portal, as he joins Amari Odom (Kennesaw State) and Danny Lauter (Georgetown). Incumbent quarterback Steve Angeli is also returning in 2026 as well.

The former top overall recruit in the country for the class of 2023, Nelson has been at three schools in three years.

He spent the 2023 season at Southern California, earning a redshirt after playing in just one game. He played three games in 2024 at Boise State, going 12-of-17 for 128 yards and an interception. And he played six games at UTEP in 2025, throwing to a 54.7 percent completion percentage, eight touchdowns and nine interceptions.

He'll have two years of eligibility left for the Orange.

Per Pete Thamel of ESPN:

Source: Former UTEP/Boise/USC quarterback Malachi Nelson has committed to Syracuse. He's ESPN's former No. 1 overall recruit from the Class of 2023. He's preparing to compete for the starting job there.

The Orange were 3-1 through four games in 2025, but then Angeli suffered a season-ending Achilles injury and the team lost eight straight to end the year. The Orange had no experienced backups on the roster and were decimated once Angeli got hurt. 

Head coach Fran Brown has brought in three quarterbacks with serious playing time histories, which should help the Orange avoid that situation again.

Because all four quarterbacks have extensive experiences, all four quarterbacks will want to play. It should make for an interesting and exciting training camp, but will it make for hurt feelings and sour grapes once the season comes around? And will each of these three quarterbacks stick around after 2026 to try to earn the starting job in 2027, or will they move along again in frustration? And if so, where does that leave the Orange in that season? The same place as in 2025, possibly.

The Syracuse University men's basketball team is back in action on Saturday afternoon when they take on Boston College at 2 p.m. ET. The game will be played at Conte Forum in Chestnut Hill, Ma. The Eagles enter play at 7-10 overall and 0-4 inside ACC play, while the Orange are 12-5 and 3-1. They've won three consecutive league games and have scored 82 points or more in each of those three.

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