One of the Notre Dame football team’s most significant losses in the transfer portal was a big surprise and not much of a surprise. When Steve Angeli decided to head to the Syracuse Orange, there was some shock, if only because he had been such a loyal player through a couple of different quarterbacks being brought in to play ahead of him.
Notre Dame fans and the media quickly seized on the issue of Angeli's landing on a team the Irish will play this year. It was part of the questions head coach Marcus Freeman had to answer when he met with the media on Thursday.
Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman breaks silence on Steve Angeli joining 2025 opponent
“Listen, what Steve Angeli has done for this program in his three years has been amazing,” the Notre Dame football head coach said after being asked if he had any hard feelings about Angeli leaving for a rival program. “I’m a huge fan of Steve Angeli -- huge fan. … I support him because it was the right decision for Steve.”
“Nothing is guaranteed,” Freeman added. “Steve made the decision to transfer where there was probably a better opportunity for him to be the starter in the fall. There was a more clear picture. That’s why he made that decision. He’s graduated, and there’s no hard feelings.”
Angeli could go up against the Notre Dame football team twice. He has two years of eligibility left and the Irish and Orange will play each other both in 2025 and 2026. This fall, the former Irish quarterback will have to run onto the field at Notre Dame stadium as an opponent. It’s safe to say he’ll carry some strong emotions with him when he comes.