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Steve Angeli felt Bruce Wayne’s pain. In the days following surgery to repair a torn Achilles, Angeli was bedridden at his home in Westfield, New Jersey. The quarterback needed a distraction. So, he watched the entire Batman trilogy.

One particular scene stuck out. In Christopher Nolan’s 2012 hit “The Dark Knight Rises,” Wayne — the secret identity of Batman, played by Christian Bale — is beaten unconscious by his archenemy, Bane. As Bane attempts to destroy Gotham City, Wayne is left to suffer in an underground prison with a spinal injury and severe bruising.

Angeli watched Wayne’s distress and then looked to his own.

“What are you going to do, stay in that pit, kneel down, lay on your back and feel down for yourself?” Angeli recalled asking himself. “Or find ways to work, take risks and push yourself to get better.”

Syracuse needs Angeli to be its Dark Knight, rising from the ashes to revitalize Fran Brown’s national-title-chasing vision. The Orange began the season 3-1 under Angeli as the Notre Dame transfer led the country in passing. After his season-ending injury, SU suffered an eight-game losing streak, scoring less than 20 points each time.

The Daily Orange spoke with Angeli on Nov. 25 in one of his first interviews since his left Achilles tear on Sept. 20 versus Clemson. Angeli revealed he’s well ahead of schedule in his recovery and hopes to participate in spring camp. But right now, he’s taking it day by day.

“There’s a lot of stuff you can learn when you hit rock bottom,” Angeli said. “Understanding who you are when you hit an extreme low point in your life, there’s a lot of value in that. My mindset is to attack. That’s how I look at it, facing these problems head-on.”

Angeli often jokes about dark situations with two of his closest friends, NFL quarterbacks Sam Hartman and Kedon Slovis. He shares similar dark humor — usually about movies — with SU Director of Football Performance Chad Smith.

He’s tried to channel that spirit in his recovery. Early on, Angeli leaned into stories of athletes like Kobe Bryant, Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton who also tore their Achilles. He read a few books, too.

But Batman stood out, rekindling a childhood fandom. Angeli even found an old Halloween photo of himself dressed as the superhero and shared it on his Instagram, marking his mindset and the path ahead.

Katie Crews | Design Editor

Nothing rivaled the flow state Angeli reached right before his injury. Angeli transferred to the Orange after three seasons as Notre Dame’s backup. He took center stage with a game-altering drive in the Orange Bowl versus Penn State last January, but lost out on the starting gig in the spring, prompting his transfer. While fielding offers from Southeastern and Big Ten programs, Angeli chose SU due to sharing similar New Jersey roots to Syracuse’s coaching staff.

After beating out Rickie Collins in a fall camp competition, he looked to replicate the record-breaking production of fellow Garden State native Kyle McCord from 2024. Early on, Angeli was actually doing it.

Despite sitting near the top of the country in passing and Syracuse leading Clemson in Death Valley, Angeli’s season ended abruptly. Angeli stumbled on a scramble in the third quarter and immediately knew his season was over. The training staff grabbed his calf to see if his foot moved. It didn’t, confirming an Achilles tear.

As emotions poured through him, Angeli thought about the long road ahead. He then looked to his teammates, who he wouldn’t play with for the foreseeable future. In the Memorial Stadium tunnel, Angeli hugged his parents, “asking God why.”

Injuries had never interrupted Angeli’s football career before. His youth quarterback trainer, Matt Bastardi, remembers Angeli missing just one practice session, a Sunday when his family was on vacation after a snowstorm rescheduled the initial practice. Now, with his best opportunity yet, Angeli was out for the remainder of the season.

“It’s tough when you’re playing at that level. You win a big football game, and we’re coming in the right direction, and it quickly comes crashing down for me personally,” Angeli said. “Then you’re sitting there, and you’re left with a lot of time by yourself to think.”

Angeli underwent surgery two days later at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. He quickly returned to SU’s campus for Syracuse’s matchup with Duke to show his teammates he was OK. However, he was forced to return home for a few weeks to be closer to his doctors. A combination of oxygen therapy, hyperbaric chamber treatments and good old-fashioned ice aided his recovery. But he was frozen in time.

Steve Angeli has progressed from a heavy-duty wrap on his left leg days after surgery to a boot at Syracuse’s game against Notre Dame. Angeli was seen before the Boston College game with no boot. Leonardo Eriman | Photo Editor, Joe Zhao | Senior Staff Photographer, Jacob Halsema | Staff Photographer, Madison Cox | Staff Photographer

As the weeks passed and his left leg healed, Angeli leaned on his family for support. It’s hard for him to describe how it helped him through his darkest hour. But there was a “hole” inside of him, yearning to rejoin his team.

Once the time was right, Angeli returned to campus to begin rehabbing. This portion is far easier for him, simply because it gives him something to look forward to daily. Angeli sees it as a challenge: go in each day and get healthy.

His days start early in the training room with head athletic trainer Drew Willson. He then works in the weight room with Smith before moving to meetings with the quarterback room and eventually practice. Watching from the sidelines is difficult for Angeli. When he was first injured, Brown said Angeli would act as a graduate assistant until he was ready to play.

Angeli didn’t travel to Syracuse’s road games until Nov. 8 in Miami. He took another key step in his rehab on Nov. 17, when the quarterback no longer needed crutches and helped signal from the sidelines during practice, running back Will Nixon said. Wide receiver Darrell Gill Jr. added Angeli’s “aura” can be felt throughout the facility.

His next stage in showcasing his recovery came where his college career began: South Bend.

The emotions were obvious. Angeli graduated from Notre Dame and, over his three seasons there, made connections he believes will last a lifetime.

Like any college career, there were ups and downs. The Fighting Irish underwent a head coaching change after he committed. Angeli’s main recruiter, Tommy Rees, departed for Alabama following his freshman season. Angeli led ND to a Sun Bowl victory in 2023, but it brought in Riley Leonard as the starter for 2024 rather than giving Angeli the starting nod.

When Leonard left for the NFL, Angeli entered a competition in the spring with CJ Carr and Kenny Minchey. Angeli played in the spring game but entered the transfer portal days later after some “tough conversations.” This was supposed to be his time to shine. Instead, he wore a boot on the sideline.

“I would be willing to give my other leg to go play in that game,” Angeli said.

Brown sent Angeli out as a captain for the opening coin toss. Angeli earned an ovation from the Notre Dame faithful and plenty of hugs throughout the day from former coaches and teammates. He became beloved in South Bend despite never truly being the guy. Now, he’s become beloved at Syracuse in his short time. It’s for good reason. The Orange’s future depends on him.

Steve Angeli walks out of the Notre Dame Stadium opposing tunnel before SU’s matchup with ND. Angeli spent his first three college seasons as a backup quarterback for the Fighting Irish. Jacob Halsema | Staff Photographer

It’s no secret Angeli’s injury derailed SU’s second year under Brown. What began as a top passing offense in the country turned into one of the worst. Angeli finished the year as Syracuse’s leading passer despite playing less than four games.

With the futures of Collins, Luke Carney and Joe Filardi still unsettled, the room remains uncertain. Angeli has constantly helped the three young quarterbacks work through their struggles, running back Yasin Willis said.

Willis also added that he and Angeli hope to “turn it up off the rip” in 2026. That includes securing recruits from high school and the transfer portal. Angeli said there have been talks of his involvement in recruiting, and he’s willing to do whatever it takes to help Brown’s staff, even if that means driving recruits around town.

After what the Orange went through without Angeli, the pressure on him to right the wrongs is immense. But it’s not fazing him.

“I view myself as a cleaner,” Angeli said. “Someone that’s going to go in there and solve problems and find solutions. I’m willing to accept all the challenges, all the pressure and that’s what I’m here to do. That’s my job as the quarterback of this team.”

As Angeli has replayed that late-September moment, he’s stopped asking why. When Wayne was down, he healed, trained and eventually climbed out of the underground prison to return to Gotham. Returning to his Batman persona, Wayne defeated Bane and saved the city.

Angeli has embraced the same arc. He knows his injury is just a speed bump in the road to future success. For now, he’s climbing his way out. Then, the saving of Syracuse commences.

Published on December 3, 2025 at 9:26 pm
Contact Aiden at: amstepan@syr.edu | @AidenStepansky