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Notre Dame quarterback reportedly entering transfer portal following spring competition
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Notre Dame quarterback Steve Angeli is entering the transfer portal, according to a report from CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz.
Angeli was involved in a 3-way quarterback competition at Notre Dame this offseason to replace Riley Leonard. His portal entry would seemingly suggest the Fighting Irish have made a decision in that competition or, at the very least, that coach Marcus Freeman and his staff are leaning hard in a specific direction.
In the team’s annual Blue-Gold Game, Angeli completed 8 of his 11 passes for 108 yards and 1 touchdown without a turnover. CJ Carr completed 14 of his 19 pass attempts for 170 yards and 2 scores with 1 interception. Kenny Minchey went 6-for-14 for 106 yards.
Notre Dame argued in the spring that it had 3 quarterbacks capable of leading the team. Following the Fighting Irish’s spring game, Freeman told reporters he would like the 3-man race to be down to 2 ahead of fall camp. That Angeli has now hit the portal would suggest Carr and Minchey exited the spring as the top 2 options.
Carr, a 6-foot-3 redshirt freshman from Saline, Michigan, should be viewed as the clear favorite to win the job now. The former 4-star recruit made 1 appearance last season for Notre Dame but did not attempt a pass.
Notre Dame begins its 2025 season on Aug. 31 against Miami. The Irish are a slight, 2.5-point favorite in the early odds on DraftKings. The Irish win total is set at 10.5 for the new season.
Angeli, a 6-foot-3 junior from New Jersey, made 21 appearances for Notre Dame across 3 seasons with the team. He was the primary backup to Leonard last season and made a spot start in the 2023 Sun Bowl.
Against Oregon State in the Sun Bowl, Angeli completed 15 of his 19 pass attempts for 232 yards and 3 scores. He also added 27 yards on 8 rushing attempts. He completed passes to 6 different receivers while helping Notre Dame to a 40-8 victory. Angeli also threw 7 pass attempts for 44 yards in relief of an injured Leonard in the College Football Playoff semifinal victory over Penn State that sent Notre Dame to the national championship game.
Angeli departs South Bend with 80 career pass attempts, 58 completions, 772 passing yards, and 10 touchdown passes against 1 interception.
He’ll have 2 seasons of eligibility remaining after taking a redshirt in 2022.
And there will undoubtedly be links to Tennessee, which lost its starting quarterback to the transfer portal last week. The Vols split with Nico Iamaleava and would make sense as a landing spot for Angeli. At Tennessee, the career backup would get an opportunity to earn his first outright starting job. And Tennessee would get a seasoned quarterback in a market short on options.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
