The Orange will be in a better spot in 2026, but what about the future?
The Syracuse University football program is playing an interesting game at the quarterback position this offseason.
Let's examine by first looking at some basic facts.
The 2025 season was a disaster
The Orange finished 3-9 in 2025, losing the final eight games of the season. Syracuse was actually 3-1 but once quarterback Steve Angeli was lost for the rest of the season because of a torn Achilles, the train went off the tracks. SU was woefully underprepared at quarterback and turned to true freshmen Luke Carney and Joseph Fillardi, as well as sophomore Rickie Collins, who also had limited experience.
SU is making sure that doesn't happen again in 2026
Heading into the new campaign, the Orange are in a much better spot in the quarterback room. Angeli is due to return from his injury, and Syracuse has added three new quarterbacks in the transfer portal. Each of them (Amari Odom, Danny Lauter, Malachi Nelson) have substantial experience and should give SU a much higher floor if Angeli is injured again.
Where we start to have questions
Given that all four quarterbacks on the roster have experience, what is being told to each of them about playing time? Is Angeli automatically the starter? Are three other transfers really coming here to sit the bench for an entire season? Are they all being told they have the chance to compete for the starting job in 2026? By the way, Angeli is also eligible to come back in 2027, so would these transfers really sit the bench for two straight years?
And how does this impact the future?
In the age of the transfer portal, things are the wild, wild west. Sure, having these three transfers on the bench helps the floor in 2026, but what happens at the end of 2026? If Angeli comes back for 2027, do all three leave, forcing SU to bring in a whole new crop of quarterbacks? Do they all leave and SU is unable to secure new quarterbacks, and then they are left with the same situation as in 2025? Does one of them stay? You just never know.
It's why it's an interesting game: The Orange are clearly better situated for 2026 than they were in 2025, but as for the future? That's still anyone's guess, and the idea of stability in today's world of college football is a very moving target.
Also on campus
The Syracuse men's basketball team suffered a dreadful loss on Saturday afternoon against Boston College at Conte Forum. The Orange are now 12-6 overall and 3-2 in ACC play. They'll be back home at the JMA Wireless Dome on Wednesday night (9 p.m. ET) against Virginia Tech.
Join the Conversation
Remember to join our SYRACUSE on ROUNDTABLE community, which is FREE! You can post your own thoughts, in text or video form, and you can engage with our Roundtable staff, as well as other Orange fans. If prompted to download the Roundtable APP, that's free too!