Steve Angeli opens up on sudden end to his season and his injury rehab: ‘I cried a little bit’

Syracuse, N.Y. — Syracuse quarterback Steve Angeli walked into the Lally Athletic Complex on his own on Tuesday night, without any assistance except for a heavy protective boot on his lower-left leg.

He left behind the crutches he has used to help him stand on the Syracuse sidelines this season. He stood by choice during portions of a 15-minute conversation, foregoing a nearby chair that had been positioned to help make him comfortable.

Angeli told syracuse.com | The Post-Standard he is ahead of schedule in his recovery from a torn Achilles tendon and is optimistic he could participate in some team workouts in the spring.

In one of his first interviews since the season-altering injury two months ago, Angeli described the feeling of realizing his breakout college football season had ended with the suddenness of a popping tendon.

Angeli quickly turned into the face of a promising franchise in Syracuse after losing out in a quarterback competition at Notre Dame.

He had been leading the nation in passing yards when he went down with a non-contact injury during his best performance of the year in a 34-21 win at Clemson on Sept. 20 that boosted Syracuse’s record to 3-1.

As he lay on the field that day, he immediately knew his breakout season was over.

Without him, Syracuse has lost six consecutive games, all by double-digits, while sifting unsuccessfully through three different quarterbacks.

After he was helped off the field in September, Angeli stood on the sidelines using crutches with his head covered in a towel.

“I was emotional,” Angeli said. “I didn’t really have any pain. As soon as it happened, I cried a little bit, I’ll be honest. It was just because I know what road it’s on. ... Immediately, I just felt like I was leaving my team, leaving my brothers. That was the worst part about it.”

Angeli said he recognized that he’d torn his Achilles tendon immediately because he’d watched his freshman year roommate at Notre Dame, running back Jadarian Price, go down with the same injury during the summer before their freshman season in 2022.

Angeli heard the same noise he heard when Price suffered his injury during a summer workout. He said he felt the same sensation that his close friend described — the whack of a baseball bat connecting with the back of his leg. He knew the same difficult rehabilitation awaited.

“I was with him when it happened,” Angeli said. “We were in a (drill) and it sounded like he clicked his heels, and then the same thing happened to me. I thought someone stepped on me from behind. I looked back and no one was there. That’s when I knew.”

Angeli had gone down with an injury earlier in the game before returning. He said he did not think the two injuries were related.

“I think I took an awkward hit and landed and it felt like a little bone bruise,” Angeli said of the earlier injury. “Then I was good. There was a rain delay and stuff. It’s just a freak accident, honestly.”

While Angeli said he recognized the injury immediately because of Price, his old roommate has also shown him a full recovery is possible.

The Notre Dame running back has accumulated 589 rushing yards this season for the No. 9 team in the country. He has averaged 6.0 yards per carry in the three seasons since tearing his Achilles and is splitting time with Heisman Trophy candidate Jeremiyah Love.

Price, who will be on the field for the Fighting Irish during Saturday’s game against Syracuse, is one of a number of people that Angeli said have supported him during his recovery, including his family, teammates from both Syracuse and Notre Dame, head coach Fran Brown and Syracuse head athletic trainer Drew Wilson.

Angeli said that Brown called him nearly every day while he was at his home in New Jersey during the first phase of his recovery from surgery. Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman was among those who passed along messages of support.

Missing football is a new feeling for Angeli. The injury is the first major one that he has suffered. He said he doesn’t remember ever missing a game.

It meant being laid up in his home in New Jersey for multiple weeks in the middle of football season, with nothing to do but play video games, cards and read books.

“It’s a slow rehab at first,” Angeli said. “It’s letting the tendon heal and making sure there is no stress on it. Really half the battle is sitting and waiting, which is really tough for me. It was hard the first couple of weeks just sitting there and letting it heal the right way.”

The quarterback said he read “Winning” and “Relentlessness”, both of which were written by Tim Grover, a performance coach for high-level athletes including Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.

“Anything I can do to get an edge and learn from people who are mentally strong,” Angeli said.

So far, Angeli said, he is two weeks ahead of schedule in his recovery. He said that puts him on track to return to the field during Syracuse’s spring practices in preparation for next year.

“By spring ball for sure,” Angeli said about his schedule to return to athletic activity. “I’ll be able to partake in practices and throw and do stuff like that. ... I’m ahead right now. I’m a couple weeks ahead of schedule.”

Angeli said he did not know if there would be any limitations on his activities or his workload during the spring. Quarterbacks traditionally wear green non-contact jerseys during the majority of those workouts.

“I just know that, projecting long-term, by spring ball, I’ll be participating in some capacity,” Angeli said.

Angeli suffered his injury on Sept. 20. The rehabilitation process traditionally takes between six and 12 months. That would put Angeli within the standard recovery period but toward the faster end of the timeline.

Syracuse’s spring practice schedule has not been announced. The latest that spring games were played nationally last season was the first week in May.

Angeli said he is now focused on rebuilding the muscle in his calf that has atrophied during the surgery and rehabilitation process, as well as supporting his teammates as they finish a difficult season and prepare for the next one.

“Steve hasn’t dropped off one bit,” freshman offensive lineman Byron Washington said on Tuesday. “Coach has a saying, ‘Ain’t no feeling sorry for yourself around here.’ Unfortunately, God sat (Angeli) down for a few months.

“But Steve hasn’t stopped being a leader, Steve hasn’t changed. He’s going to continue to be our leader and that’s what he’s been. The way we’re running here is it’s Fran Brown, then the quarterback, then the captains. No matter the circumstances, Steve is still our leader.”

Angeli traveled to the Orange’s game at Miami two weeks ago, chatting with his parents in the stands as Syracuse warmed up for the game. He’ll travel to Notre Dame, his old school, this weekend for the Orange’s game against the Fighting Irish.

Angeli was with the Irish last spring, part of a three-way competition at quarterback with CJ Carr and Kenny Minchey

Carr eventually won the job. Angeli transferred to Syracuse. He said he was told he “no longer had a chance to compete” for the job at Notre Dame, prompting the transfer.

On Tuesday, he said he had no hard feelings toward Freeman, who reached out to him following his injury.

“I have a lot of respect for Coach,” Angeli said. “He helped me a lot during my time there and it’s a great connection that I have now.”

Still, he said, he is happy with his decision to transfer to Syracuse, where he enters next season looking to pick up where he left off playing for a coach who expects him to be one of the best quarterbacks in college football.

“My goal is to come back to the spot where I left off,” Angeli said. “Leading the country in passing and having an explosive offense, making sure we have the pieces and that I can get back to that level.”