Notre Dame quarterback Steve Angeli is entering the transfer portal, according to a report from On3 Sports’ Pete Nakos on Thursday afternoon.
Angeli’s entry into the portal comes after a short but impressive appearance during the College Football Playoffs last season. The 6-foot-2 quarterback replaced an injured Riley Leonard for one drive in Notre Dame’s semi-final game against Penn State. Angeli threw for 44 yards on 6-of-7 passing at the end of the first half, taking the Fighting Irish to field goal range and cutting Penn State’s lead to seven before the break.
On the season as a whole, the redshirt sophomore quarterback threw for 268 yards and three touchdowns on 24-of-36 passing.
According to Nakos’s report for On3, his sources indicated that Tennessee “will evaluate” the former Notre Dame quarterback while continuing to see how the landscape evolves.
“The spring portal window only opened on Wednesday, and the Vols are waiting to see who else could enter college football’s free agency before deciding,” Nakos writes. “Tennessee has already begun to vet several options, especially with the sales pitch of playing in the SEC.”
BREAKING: Notre Dame QB Steve Angeli plans to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal, @PeteNakos_ reports. https://t.co/U31NaOwnr0 pic.twitter.com/6JUX87q7cr
— On3 (@On3sports) April 17, 2025
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Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel made it sound like the Vols would be buyers in the quarterback market in the portal following the Orange & White game last Saturday.
“Anytime your roster has the opportunity to change, that’s in December, that’s in the spring, right,” Heupel said. “As we go through the process, you’re always evaluating what you have on your roster where you’re, I’m gonna say vulnerable, where numbers might not be right, injuries, whatever. And you’re trying to get your roster where it needs to be to give yourself the best chance when you get to kick off in the fall. And certainly with only two scholarship players at the quarterback position, we’re going to have to find another guy.”
After moving on from quarterback Nico Iamaleava in the hours before the spring game, Tennessee operated with rising redshirt freshman Jake Merklinger and early enrollee George MacIntyre as the two signal callers. Merklinger was a talented prospect on the recruiting trail but only threw nine attempts in two games as a true freshman, highlighting why Tennessee might want to bring in an older guy to the room.
As a recruit, Angeli was a four-star prospect and the No. 21 quarterback in the 2022 recruiting class, according to 247 Sports’ Composite rankings. Angeli has thrown for 772 yards with 10 touchdowns and one interception in the previous two seasons.
Angeli primarily served as the backup to Sam Hartman in 2023 but did start in the Sun Bowl against Oregon State, where he led the Fighting Irish to a dominant 40-8 victory. Angeli threw for 232 yards and three touchdowns on 15-of-29 passing in the victory.
The Westfield, NJ, native was once again the backup in 2024, this time to Riley Leonard, but showed some talent and toughness during his one crucial drive in Notre Dame’s semi-final win over Penn State.
The news of Steve Angeli’s entry into the transfer portal also comes one day after a potential Tennessee target was removed from the board entirely. Nakos reported for On3 on Wednesday that TCU quarterback Josh Hoover will not be entering the transfer portal despite “rumors” of being a possible target for the Vols.
Wednesday also brought news that former Vanderbilt and Northwestern quarterback Mike Wright is in the transfer portal and looking for a new home this spring.
Steve Angeli is entering his redshirt junior season and will have two years of eligibility remaining.
Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for more Tennessee football offseason news and coverage.
