Quarterback options Syracuse could pursue in transfer portal
After enduring disastrous quarterback play once Steve Angeli went down, Syracuse will likely hit the transfer portal for a backup quarterback. Joe Zhao | Senior Staff Photographer
Support The Daily Orange this holiday season! The money raised between now and the end of the year will go directly toward aiding our students. Donate today.
Syracuse needs a quarterback in the transfer portal. Its quarterback situation grew dire this season after Steve Angeli tore his Achilles on Sept. 20. Following Angeli’s injury, the Orange lost their final eight games of the season, dealing with putrid quarterback play in that stretch.
Whether it was Rickie Collins, Joe Filardi or Luke Carney, Fran Brown couldn’t find an answer. Angeli will be Syracuse’s starter once he’s healthy, but his return is uncertain. On Sept. 22, Brown ruled out Angeli until SU’s spring practices. He hasn’t provided any further updates since.
Angeli’s health will be crucial for Syracuse next season. Brown will likely add a quarterback or two from the transfer portal so SU’s season isn’t as contingent on Angeli’s health. Collins was its backup plan in 2025, and that didn’t pan out. Brown will aim to avoid the same mistake.
Here are five quarterbacks Syracuse could pursue in the transfer portal to serve as Angeli’s backup:
Marcus Stokes
If Brown wants to take a chance on a Division II passer, Marcus Stokes is a viable option. Stokes put together a solid season for West Florida in 2025, throwing for 3,297 yards and 30 touchdowns, but tossed 13 interceptions. Stokes also ran for 367 yards on 82 attempts.
Syracuse has already contacted Stokes, per On3’s Pete Nakos. The signal caller was a four-star recruit coming out of high school, according to 247Sports. He was rated as the 26th-best quarterback in the 2023 recruiting class and initially committed to Florida. However, he decommitted from the Gators after they pulled his offer in November 2022 when a social media video resurfaced of him using a racial slur.
Three years later, Stokes is ready to join the Division I ranks. It’s unknown whether he’d want to transfer somewhere to start or if he’d be okay with a backup role. Power Four schools such as Florida State, Iowa and Northwestern also showed interest, along with Group of Five programs Old Dominion, UTEP and Liberty.
Trey Petty
Illinois’ Trey Petty doesn’t have any collegiate starting experience, so Syracuse could run into the same problems it did with Collins. During two seasons at LSU, Collins threw just seven passes, barely compiling any in-game reps. Petty was in a similar situation with the Fighting Illini. He sat deep on Illinois’ depth chart behind starter Luke Altmyer for two years, before announcing he’d enter the portal on Dec. 2.
Playing for Starkville High School, Petty was named the 2023 year Mississippi Class 7A Player of the Year. 247Sports rated him the 60th-best quarterback in the 2024 recruiting class, earning offers from Georgia Tech, Indiana, Ole Miss and Mississippi State. Ultimately, Petty ended up travelling north to play for Bret Bielema.
The Orange don’t want to make the same mistake twice and rely on an inexperienced backup to Angeli, so they might be cautious. But Petty’s potential makes him an option as SU’s deputy.
Ilyna Sarech | Design Editor
Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi
Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi could be an interesting option for Syracuse. The former Colorado State quarterback left the program on Oct. 22, three days after head coach Jay Norvell was fired. Fowler-Nicolosi’s decision came a month after Norvell benched him in a 17-16 loss to UTSA, where he was 14-of-25 for 175 yards.
Fowler-Nicolosi has plenty of experience, starting 25 games for CSU. In 2023, he placed second in the Mountain West with 3,460 passing yards to go along with 22 touchdowns, while throwing to Syracuse receiver Justus Ross-Simmons. The following season, Fowler-Nicolosi took a step back with under 3,000 yards before getting benched after three games in 2025.
The quarterback certainly knows how to make headlines. Prior to CSU’s 2024 matchup against Colorado, Fowler-Nicolosi said, “We’ll see how far Instagram followers gets them,” seemingly taking a shot at then-Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders. After the Buffaloes beat the Rams, Sanders refused to shake Fowler-Nicolosi’s hand.
At the 2024 Mountain West Media Day, Norvell said Kansas State offered Fowler-Nicolosi $600,000 to transfer. Later in August, the quarterback said he “didn’t come here to make money” and “came to win games.”
Collin Hurst
Making the jump from the Football Championship Subdivision isn’t easy, but Collin Hurst is an FCS option Syracuse could pursue. Hurst is a finalist for the Walter Payton FCS Offensive Player of the Year award, after a season where he threw 26 touchdowns and recorded 2,704 yards at Presbyterian College. He helped lead the Blue Hose to a 10-2 record, their highest win total since becoming a Division I program in 2007.
Hurst isn’t the most physically imposing quarterback, standing at 5-foot-10 and 185 pounds, but his stats show he can play. Hurst was underrecruited coming out of high school, earning a two-star rating from 247Sports, yet he capitalized on his opportunity at Presbyterian.
Hurst, much like Stokes, could be seeking a starting job. The decision comes down to whether he wants guaranteed playing time at a smaller Group of Five school or valuable Power Four experience. If it’s the latter, Syracuse could be in play.
Jaxon Potter
Jaxon Potter is a former starter who could be on Syracuse’s radar. Potter opened the season as Washington State’s starting signal caller, but was benched after a disastrous three-interception performance against North Texas on Sept. 13. He was replaced by Zevi Eckhaus, who was the Cougars’ starter against Syracuse in last year’s Holiday Bowl.
Potter had a promising start with the Cougars, throwing for 208 yards in their season-opener against Idaho. He followed it by going 28-of-42 for 257 yards and three touchdowns against San Diego State, but his outing against North Texas derailed his season.
Despite only playing three games, Potter has enough in-game reps for Syracuse to be interested in him. Potter is a natural pocket passer, fitting the mold of Jeff Nixon’s offense, which had success with Kyle McCord in 2024 and Angeli at the beginning of this season.
