Things are expected to heat up in the coming days for the Tennessee football team, as Josh Heupel and Co. are going to look for someone to come in and compete for the starting quarterback job. As everyone knows by now, the QB1 spot is up for grabs.
Nico Iamaleava shocked us all by entering the transfer portal, with all signs pointing to him joining UCLA. However, he's not the only intriguing QB looking for a new home. On Thursday, the breaking news arrived that Notre Dame signal-caller Steve Angeli is leaving South Bend. Several teams are expected to reach out to him as soon as possible to see if there's interest. Heupel needs to get on the phone ASAP himself:
Notre Dame QB Steve Angeli is expected to enter the transfer portal, a source tells @CBSSports/@247Sports.
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) April 17, 2025
Shined in limited action during Notre Dame’s Playoff game vs. Penn State and has been part of the Fighting Irish’s QB competiton this offseason. Will be a grad transfer.… pic.twitter.com/apBjNI0rV4
Tennessee's Josh Heupel shouldn't waste time in recruiting Notre Dame transfer Steve Angeli
Angeli was in a battle this spring for the starting quarterback job with CJ Carr and Kenny Minchey. Following the spring game, Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman sure made it sound like the three-man battle was becoming a two-man race.
Angeli may have been the odd man out, which opened the door for him to enter the transfer portal to try and find a starting position for 2025. Last season for the Fighting Irish, he tossed for 268 yards and three touchdowns.
In the Orange Bowl win over Penn State, Notre Dame's Riley Leonard went down with a head injury, which led to Angeli taking the field. He was 6-of-7 on his pass attempts for 44 yards. Leonard ended up getting cleared of a concussion and returned in the second half. In the 2023 Sun Bowl, Angeli put on a show vs. Oregon State, throwing for 232 yards and three scores to power ND to a dominant win.
While some Tennessee fans may be on the lookout for a bigger name, the options via the transfer portal are quite limited. Gio Lopez has been another QB that's been floated around, but he's expected to sign with UNC. Could a stud player decide to transfer before the portal closes?
Who knows? For now, Angeli is one of the best options available. His experience alone would be a huge plus for the Tennessee QBs room, with second-year freshman Jake Merklinger and true freshman George MacIntyre currently being the only other scholarship quarterbacks on the roster.