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Former Notre Dame quarterback Steve Angeli wasn't in the transfer portal very long, as the New Jersey native is headed to Syracuse. Angeli made the decision to jump in the portal on April 17 and less than a week later he has found a new home.
Angeli passed for 772 yards and 10 touchdowns during his Notre Dame career while completing 72.5-percent of his passes. He started Notre Dame's Sun Bowl matchup against Oregon State at the end of the 2023 season. In that game - a 40-8 Notre Dame win - Angeli completed 15-19 passes for 232 yards and three touchdowns.
Angeli was the backup in 2024 to starter Riley Leonard and he was called upon again late in the Orange Bowl when Leonard was knocked out for a series. Angeli complete 6-7 passes for 44 yards and got the Irish into field goal range, which helped the Irish get on the board.
Syracuse makes sense in some ways but is a questionable decision in others.
Syracuse is obviously closer to his hometown of Westfield, N.J. The quarterbacks coach at Syracuse is Nunzio Campanile, the brother of Angeli's high school head coach Vito Campanile. Syracuse is also an offense geared around throwing the football, and 2024 quarterback Kyle McCord led the nation with 4,779 passing yards and was fifth nationally with 34 passing touchdowns.
The question is that Syracuse landed a talented quarterback during the winter portal period when former LSU quarterback Rickie Collins joined the program. According to various reports, Collins had a strong spring and won the starting quarterback job. Does Angeli just walk in as the starter? Does he have to compete with Collins? Will Collins stick around? We'll learn the answers to all of that relatively quickly.
Collins went 7-7 for 38 yards in two seasons as a backup quarterback at LSU, and he also added 37 rushing yards. Angeli has far, far more experience than Collins, but the Louisiana native is a talented quarterback in his own right. The situation doesn't seem a whole lot different than the one he just left at Notre Dame, assuming that Collins gets a chance to compete for the job once Angeli arrives.
The other interesting angle is that going to Syracuse means Angeli will return to Notre Dame during the 2025 season. Notre Dame hosts Syracuse on November 22nd, which will also be Senior Day for the Irish.
More must-reads:
- Oregon suspends former five-star WR recruit indefinitely
- Notre Dame believed to be trending toward surprise choice at quarterback
- The '2023 NFL AP second-team All-Pro' quiz
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Max Johnson reacts to Bill Belichick going to transfer portal for new QB
North Carolina's Bill Belichick has found himself in a very interesting situation as he gears up for his first season as a college football head coach. On one hand, he has what every new coach covets: An experienced quarterback with an NFL pedigree. That would be Max Johnson, the son of former NFL quarterback Brad Johnson. Johnson missed a majority of the 2024 season after suffering a broken femur in the season opener, but he's healthy heading into this 2025 season and has 22 starts under his belt between stops at LSU and Texas A M. One would think Johnson would be UNC's clear starter, but he is coming off a catastrophic injury and only just recently got back to full-strength. On the other hand, one of Belichick's first moves at UNC was going into the transfer portal to bring in redshirt sophomore Gio Lopez from South Alabama to compete for the starting job. That's a move that could have easily rattled Johnson, but in an in-depth look at his recovery from that terrible femur injury by Andrea Adelson of ESPN, the sixth-year quarterback explained that he understood why Belichick did what he did. "I get it. You have to go in the portal," Johnson says. "I didn't know if I was going to be ready. They didn't know. They asked me those questions. I'm telling them I'm going to be ready, because I know myself. But it's tough from their point of view because it's like, 'OK, we've got to make a business decision.'" Belichick made a business decision and it's worth noting that while Johnson is saying the right things about the introduction of Lopez into the equation, he's also walking the walk. "I transfer in, we're both competing for the spot, and people paint this narrative like they must not like each other. Me and Max are actually great friends," Lopez explained. A starter has not yet been named by Belichick, but one gets the sense that if Johnson gets the call, he'll be ready to pick right back off where he left off with no reservations. And as Lopez tells it, if he ends up winning the starting gig, UNC can expect to have a more than supportive backup in Johnson. "He's been super helpful with the offense. There's no second agenda with him, where he's trying to throw me off. He's been great," Lopez said.
Cowboys fans won't like Jerry Jones' update on Micah Parsons standoff
With the regular season approaching, the Dallas Cowboys should be aiming to extend EDGE Micah Parsons promptly. But they're still in no rush to do that. Parsons is set to play on the fifth-year option of his rookie contract in 2025 and has requested a trade. Dallas insists it has no plans to move the 26-year-old pass-rusher but hasn't clarified when it will extend him. Giving him a new deal before the regular-season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sept. 4 at 8:20 p.m. ET (NBC, Peacock) seems wise. Dallas owner Jerry Jones, however, said that's not the team's deadline, nor does it need one. "No, not at all," Jones said Wednesday, via Jonah Javad of WFAA-TV in Dallas. "You don't have deadlines when you're playing under contract." Parsons is under contract, but that doesn't mean he must suit up. The EDGE could hold out of regular-season games, like former Cowboys star running back Emmitt Smith did in 1993. The Pro Football Hall of Famer missed the first two games of the season before becoming the league's highest-paid RB at that time. Parsons hasn't said whether he would hold out of regular-season games, but it's apparent he's unhappy with where things stand. "My mouth is closed," Parsons said Wednesday while leaving the practice field in Oxnard, California, via Field Level Media. Jones didn't say if talks with Parsons would resume when the Cowboys return to Texas for their second preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens. The matchup is scheduled for Saturday at 7 p.m. ET. The owner still seems confident Parsons will play on the fifth-year option if Dallas doesn't sign him before the start of the regular season. "Again, all you've got to go on are contracts," Jones said. "We are negotiating for a contract. When you do a contract, you would hope that after a negotiation, that's what both the team and player look to see what our obligations are. I have a lot of respect for the contract." Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb played the last years of their rookie contracts. Perhaps Jones wants Parsons to do the same. Still, that would be silly. Paying the four-time Pro Bowler should be a no-brainer for the Cowboys, so they should stop wasting time and show him the money.
Milwaukee Brewers: Pirates Star Breaks Down What Makes Brew Crew So Hard to Beat
The good times keep on rolling for the Milwaukee Brewers, as they gave the Pittsburgh Pirates one more thumping on Wednesday to complete yet another series sweep. The Brewers extended their win streak to 12 games after thrashing the visiting Bucs in the series finale, 12-5. Milwaukee jumped to a 5-0 lead, but the Pirates showed signs of life, thanks in large part to Bryan Reynolds, whose home runs in the fifth and sixth innings drove in five runs and trimmed the Brewers’ lead down to one. Unfortunately for the Pirates, they never scored again after the sixth inning, while the Brewers added two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning and four more in the seventh frame. The Pirates are just on the level of the Brewers. Milwaukee has the best record overall in the big leagues, while Pittsburgh is wallowing at the bottom of the National League Central standings. The Pirates also trail the Brewers by 26 games in the division. Pirates star explains why the Milwaukee Brewers are so good Even Reynolds acknowledges the greatness the Brewers are showing this season. “I think we need to take a page out of the Brewers’ book,” Reynolds said after the series finale (h/t Adam McCalvy of MLB.com). “They just do everything right. They base run, they take the extra base, they put the ball in play, swing at strikes. I think we could benefit a lot from trying to have the same kind of game style.” The Brewers have simply been on a spectacular run. Over their last 13 games, they hit .315/.385/.545 and scored 106 runs, the most in the big leagues by a mile over that span.
Raiders rookie receiver opens up on stunning position change
The Las Vegas Raiders’ training camp has featured several intriguing roster developments, but one of the most unique stories belongs to rookie wide receiver Tommy Mellott. The former Montana State football standout, drafted in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, is making the rare transition from college quarterback to NFL pass catcher. Heavy Sports’ Ethan Inman reported that Mellott discussed the move in a recent sit-down with Raiders team reporter Levi Edwards. The 23-year-old said he always suspected that his skill set might be used differently at the professional level. “I’ve had that perception that if I was going to go to the next level, I was going to be used in a unique way,” Mellott said. “I wasn’t going to be a clear-cut quarterback, but I didn’t know if I was going to be a receiver, I had no idea what it was going to be.” Mellott’s resume with the Montana State Bobcats was nothing short of prolific. A dual-threat leader nicknamed “Touchdown Tommy,” he piled up over 5,800 passing yards, 53 passing touchdowns, more than 3,500 rushing yards, and 43 rushing scores during his college career. He also led the Bobcats to the FCS championship game and collected numerous awards, including the Walter Payton Award and Big Sky Offensive MVP honors. His athletic testing at the NFL Combine — a 4.39-second 40-yard dash and a 41-inch vertical jump — showcased the explosiveness the Raiders hope to tap into. Head coach Pete Carroll and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly value versatility, and the former FCS quarterback could find his role as a rookie that contributes on offense and special teams. Currently listed as the third-string slot receiver and fourth-string return option, he has also been spotted taking gadget snaps in camp, a nod to his quarterback background. The position change has not shaken Mellott’s confidence. Instead, he views it as an opportunity to help the team in any way possible. “I just had an open mind and an open heart. It’s just whatever the will is of God and whatever I can do to help this team out.” The transition from Montana State football star to NFL receiver remains a work in progress, but Mellott’s adaptability and athleticism make him one of the more intriguing players in camp. If he can carve out a role, the Raiders may have uncovered a late-round gem who can inject energy into the roster and provide Carroll with another versatile building block for the team’s rebuild.
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