The Syracuse Orange football team lost to Clemson on Saturday afternoon 18-13 inside the JMA Wireless Dome and our own Brady Farkas offered his takeaways from the home defeat. 

One of the biggest factors in the Orange's (4-5) latest defeat was the play of veteran quarterback Steve Angeli, who went 18-of-40 for 263 yards, one touchdown, one fumble and one interception.

The stat line does not provide the full context with regards to the significance of some of Angeli's incompletions. At least five times Angeli could not complete a pass to an open Orange wide receiver. A completion in those spots could have resulted in first downs or scoring plays that would have made a huge difference. For instance, he threw behind Calvin Russell III in the first half in the endzone, a play that would have been a clear touchdown.

It's been a trying season for Angeli, who began the year as the starter, but was benched in the middle of the year for a combination of injury and performance issues. Amari Odom stepped in the starting role, but injuries to both Odom and Malachi Nelson forced Angeli back into spot. The previous two weeks, Angeli was able to help Syracuse win games against North Carolina, and he also engineered a come from behind drive against SMU.

But as we think about this current season, we've also started to think about 2027. Who will the starting quarterback be for the Orange then?

It's certainly possible, but there are many factors involved.

For starters, because of the new "five in five" rule that gives players five years to play five seasons, each of Angeli, Odom and Nelson can come back in 2027. If they all do, then there's a good competition already set for next year's training camp.

However, there's also the chance that someone could leave in hopes of becoming a starter again for their final year of eligibility, which would alter plans.

This is also very possible. Projecting what player could be the Orange's starting quarterback in 2027 could very much depend on what quarterbacks opt into the transfer portal.

Since Fran Brown began his tenure in 2024, each season has began with a quarterback that didn't start his career with the Orange. In '24, the Orange were able to bring in former Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord. McCord had a record-breaking season, setting a new school single-season passing yards record before embarking on a professional career. McCord is currently on the Miami Dolphins roster. 

In 2025 and 2026 Angeli, a former Notre Dame quarterback, began the season as "QB1." A lot of questions and roster adjustments are likely on the way before Syracuse football names its starter for 2027. 

The Orange will need to win two of its next three games to get to six wins and become bowl eligible. Syracuse will travel to Raleigh, N.C. to take on the North Carolina State Wolfpack on Saturday at noon ET.