As the Notre Dame football team continues to hold a competition for the starting quarterback in the 2025 season, it seems like everyone has an opinion on who will win. Well, everyone but the coaches, who are attempting to look like Switzerland until a starter is officially named.
Everyone has an opinion on who between CJ Carr, Steve Angeli and Kenny Minchey is going to win the race. However, one analyst not only believes that Angeli will be the Fighting Irish’s starting quarterback, but he could surprise people with how good he could be after living in the shadows of Sam Hartman and Riley Leonard the last two seasons.
Greg McElroy’s latest comparison should have Notre Dame football fans raising their eyebrows so high they might pop off their heads. The analyst compared Angeli to none other than Joe Burrow.
Greg McElroy sees Steve Angeli as a potential breakout star in Notre Dame football’s QB battle
“I've seen Steve Angeli thrust into action against a ferocious pass rush in Penn State and one of the best defenses in the country,” McElroy started, referencing the Irish playoff again against the Nittany Lions. “I saw Steve Angeli go into the lineup and just methodically, right down the field, accurately carving up a defense.”
Could Steve Angeli take a JOE BURROW-type leap??@GregMcElroy likes the upside for the @NDFootball QB 👀👀#GoIrish pic.twitter.com/cpG3bJc2xU
— Always College Football (@AlwaysCFB) April 1, 2025
“Who's to say that Steve Angeli’s ceiling, when the real lights are on, isn't outrageously high? We've seen him make one start, and it was a couple years ago. What if, when we fast forward to this year, Steve Angeli has some awakening and all of a sudden he's the second coming of Joe Burrow?”
McElroy went on to point out that before Joe Burrow became Joe Burrow he was just “a guy.” He was also just “a guy” in his first year at LSU. And then a switch flipped and Burrow has since been one of the best quarterbacks in the sport. College or pro.
There is one thing that might stand in the way of Angeli mirroring the rise of Joe Burrow and McElroy highlighted it. The offense will almost certainly not be “built for” Angeli. Certainly there will be less of a quarterback running game, but Denbrock isn’t going to completely change the attack.
Granted, if Steve Angeli can put together a season that’s anything close to Burrow’s 60 touchdown passes and 5,671 yards, Notre Dame football fans will absolutely take it.