One week after giving backup quarterback Amari Odom his first start in a Syracuse Orange uniform, head coach Fran Brown is turning to another new quarterback.

According to Pete Thamel of ESPN, former five-star recruit Malachi Nelson is set to be under center when the Orange take on Virginia on Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Here's what you need to know:

The Orange are 2-2 this season and are coming off a 42-41 overtime win against the UConn Huskies.

Steve Angeli, who was the starter last season before getting hurt, began the season as the leader for Brown's team. But Angeli struggled in his first action in a calendar year and the Orange went 1-2 as he completed 54.8 percent of his passes in three games. He also only tossed four touchdowns against five interceptions, with all five picks coming in the second halves of losses against Cal and Pitt.

Odom, a transfer from Kennesaw State, was given the ball in Week 5, and he ran with it. The dual-threat quarterback accounted for six touchdowns in total, with five of them coming through the air. He ran for the game-winning two-point conversion in overtime to give SU the win.

Odom was listed as "doubtful," on the team's final injury report on Friday, while Angeli was listed as "out." Odom popped up as questionable with a shoulder injury on Thursday, but there had been no previous mention of an Angeli injury.

The former top overall recruit in the country for the Class of 2023, Nelson has now been at four schools in four years.

He spent the 2023 season at Southern California (USC), 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.

Is he still the same talented player that earned the top recruit designation? Or, is he a guy who just can't put it all together despite multiple fresh starts? We're going to start to find out on Saturday.

Angeli started four games for the Orange last season before tearing his Achilles and missing the final eight. The Orange went 0-8 after he got injured because of the lack of proper quarterback depth. Last offseason, Brown sought to rectify that by bringing in Odom and Nelson. The depth worked out once already, so we'll see if it pays off again.

The Cavaliers are 3-2 and coming off a 31-point loss to Florida State.