Signed national letters of intent have been rolling in all morning for the Fighting Irish staff. Longtime Notre Dame quarterback commit Steve Angeli is among the newest members of new head coach Marcus Freeman’s squad.
Angeli joins a young quarterback room that will have a new starting quarterback in 2022 with Jack Coan exhausting his eligibility. He won’t be close to the favorite to win the job next fall, but Angeli just wants a chance to compete.
The 6-2, 210-pounder had a 17-1 career record as Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic’s quarterback. New Jersey had a shortened season in 2020, and Angeli led Bergen Catholic to a 5-1 record. He completed 68 of 115 throws for 919 yards with six touchdowns and three interceptions. He also added three rushing scores to lead the Crusaders to the No. 1 ranking in New Jersey per MaxPreps.
The Crusaders went 12-0 this fall and won the New Jersey Non-Public A State Tournament. MaxPreps ranks Bergen Catholic as the No. 4 team in America.
Angeli threw for 1,717 yards with 15 touchdowns and two interceptions on 117-of-170 passing. He also compiled 218 rushing yards and four scores on 62 attempts.
Three of the four major recruiting rankings websites have Angeli as a three-star recruit, but ESPN ranks Angeli as a four-star talent, the No. 2 player in New Jersey, and the No. 7 pocket passer and No. 143 overall prospect in the country.
Angeli committed to Notre Dame in March over offers from Boston College, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State and others.
After news broke that Brian Kelly would be leaving Notre Dame for LSU, other programs in need of a class of 2022 quarterback reached out to Angeli, but he didn’t flinch. He remained patient and it all worked out with Tommy Rees staying in South Bend as the Irish’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
“It’s a new era,” Angeli said. “We have two young coaches at the helm and a new page in Notre Dame football. They’re elite two football minds and have worked really well together. We’re embarking on something special.”
Angeli will play in the 2022 Under Armour All-America Game at Camping World Stadium Jan. 2 in Orlando, Fla.
“He checks just about every box — the size, acumen of football, loving the game, unbelievable character kid and 4.0 [GPA] student,” Bergen Catholic head coach Vito Campanile said of Angeli. “The thing that is eye-opening to me is the ‘escape-ability’ and athleticism at that size. That makes him a little different. He’s a big dude.
“He knows what he’s seeing out there. He does a really good job in the run game as far as checking plays. Coach Rees will be pretty happy with Steve’s knowledge of the game when he gets there.”
“He’s able to extend and make plays with his feet outside the pocket, has enough arm strength to make every throw, shows good anticipation, keeps his eyes downfield, and does a great job of hitting moving targets,” Prep Football Report recruiting analyst Tom Lemming added. “He’s the top quarterback in the East and is no doubt one of the more accurate passers in the 2022 class.
“Angeli is a terrific all-around QB with smarts, arm strength, and foot speed.”
Angeli will enroll at Notre Dame in January.
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