Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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4 APRIL 2025 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED S teve Angeli didn't waste any time proving how clutch of a quarterback he is. A true freshman in the spring of 2022, the Irish rookie took the final offensive snap of the Blue- Gold Game that April, scam- pered left, outraced the Blue de- fenders to the edge, dove toward the goal line, extended and ath- letically stretched the football over the pylon as the game clock expired for a 13-10 Gold come- back victory. Obviously, one memorable touchdown run in a scrim- mage game shouldn't be overly celebrated. But it did provide a glimpse into the in-game heroics that Angeli has routinely pro- vided when his number has been called since. The most recent evidence into how capable and important An- geli is to Notre Dame came Jan. 9 in the Orange Bowl, during the College Football Playoff semifinal game against Penn State. The Irish trailed 10-0 late in the sec- ond quarter. Their offense had crossed midfield only one time and managed just 107 yards, leaving any comeback hopes seemingly lost when starting Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard left the game in concussion protocol after a big hit. No worries. With Leonard out, Angeli came off the bench cold and calmly capped off a 13-play drive that resulted in a field goal and cut the deficit on the score- board to 10-3. The score calmed frayed nerves, changed momentum before halftime and sparked a 27-24 come- back win for Notre Dame in what was arguably the most important drive of the postseason. "It means a lot," Angeli said when asked about his clutch performance off the bench. "But no matter what happens when I'm in there or not, I'm supporting my teammates. And every win we get I feel as much a part of it as anyone." Angeli completed 6 of 7 passes for 44 yards on the drive and converted three third downs to set up the 41-yard field goal from Mitch Jeter as time expired in the second quarter to make this a one- score game. "We had a lot of confidence in Steve and what he can do, and we weren't just going to put him in there to hand the ball off," said Irish head coach Marcus Freeman, who could've taken a more conservative offensive approach with Angeli against Penn State, given the score and circumstances. "We were go- ing to try to go score, and we ended up scoring three points." The master of entering a game cold but playing it hot, Angeli in 21 career appearances completed 72.5 percent of his passes for 772 yards with 10 touch- downs and 1 interception. When he was called to start in the 2023 Sun Bowl, he went 15-of-19 passing for 232 yards with 3 touchdowns in a 40-8 Irish win. "We've got a lot of confidence in Steve," Freeman added. "Steve's earned it in some game opportunities. But you earn the confidence of your coaching staff and from your teammates in practice." It's that earned confidence, the proven production, and a natural leadership style that make Angeli the obvious choice to be Notre Dame's opening day starter this fall. The starting quarterback de- bate this offseason has mainly focused on Angeli versus rising sophomore CJ Carr. Carr is being called a "prod- igy," a big-armed gunslinger who's believed to have a much higher talent ceiling than his competition. Angeli is known as a reliable game manager and an accurate passer, who will avoid mistakes but perhaps not make the game- changing play, which based on his numbers, is a baseless as- sessment. Understood, we're using a small sample size, but Angeli av- eraged 13.3 yards on his 58 career com- pletions, a yardage mark that would've ranked third in the country in 2024. His 9.7-yard average on his 80 career pass attempts would've ranked 23rd nation- ally last season. Angeli has paid three years' worth of dues. He's proven his worth in 21 game appearances. He deserves to start. "Steve is a dog. He's been through the rough," said recently graduated Irish tight end Mitchell Evans. "Whenever his number's been called, he's been reliable, he's been dependable. If he gets a shot, Notre Dame will be in good hands." Make no mistake, there's a reason why Carr was rated as a top-10 quarter- back in his recruiting class. He's a great player and his time will come. But given that Notre Dame opens its season at Miami, then returns home to play Texas A&M in Game 2, this is no time to use projected promise over proven performance with this crucial quarterback decision. ✦ In 21 career appearances, Angeli has completed 72.5 percent of his passes for 772 yards with 10 touchdowns and 1 interception. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER Todd D. Burlage has been a writer for Blue & Gold Illustrated since July 2005. He can be reached at tburlage@blueandgold.com. UPON FURTHER REVIEW TODD D. BURLAGE Proven Performance Makes Steve Angeli The QB Choice