The Syracuse Orange football team suffered its second loss of the 2026 season last Thursday, taking a 27-13 defeat against their rival in the Pittsburgh Panthers. The loss moves the Orange to 1-2 overall and 0-2 in Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) play. 

And with a bye week coming up this week, there's plenty of chatter about the state of the Orange, including at the quarterback position, where starting quarterback Steve Angeli has thrown five interceptions in the past two losses.

Early in the fourth quarter of Thursday's game, Angeli was replaced under center by Amari Odom, a transfer from Kennesaw State.

The decision to go to Odom instead of Malachi Nelson was startling for some who have followed the program closely the past few months.

In 2023, ESPN named Nelson as the No. 1 recruit in the country. Nelson signed with USC out of high school, but did not see action as eventual Heisman Trophy winner and NFL number No. 1 draft pick Caleb Williams led the Trojans.

Nelson left the program and joined Boise State the following season. After losing the starting job competition to Maddux Madden, Nelson saw action in just three games. Last season, Nelson started for the first time in his career, this time as the quarterback at UTEP. In five starts for the Miners, he threw eight touchdowns and nine interceptions. 

He transferred to Syracuse before this campaign.

In the initial offensive depth chart released, the quarterback spot under Angeli was posted as "2 or 3," meaning that there was no clear distinction of who the backup to Angeli would be. It insinuated that Nelson and Odom were close to each other.

Earlier this summer, Brown spoke to Andy Staples of On3 and shared his thoughts on Nelson, clearly showing a fondness for his game.

"I’m super impressed. I can’t wait to watch him and Steve compete.”

and "He's not really worrying about the world no more"

While Odom had a successful 2025 season at Kennesaw State, Nelson's experience (and pedigree) have you wondering if he would have been a better fit to replace Angeli, and if he'll be a better fit moving forward should Syracuse want to make a starting QB change.

The odds are certainly going up. Again, the discussion is ramping up around Angeli, and after going 3-9 a year ago, Syracuse is in dire need of a better season this year. Angeli has experience and past success under his belt, but the urgency for Brown and his group is real.

If Angeli or Odom are not capable of providing a spark, perhaps Nelson can.

Syracuse is on a bye week for the weekend of Sept. 27 and will not play in a game again until Oct. 3 when they take on the UConn Huskies. Kickoff is set for 12:00 p.m. ET in East Hartford, CT. 

UConn is 2-1 and will play Miami (Ohio) this Saturday.