SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Gino Guidugli had his doubts about Steve Angeli last spring.
Guidugli, who joined Notre Dame’s coaching staff as quarterbacks coach in February of last year, worked with Angeli just months after he spent most of his freshman season as the primary backup for Drew Pyne.
So much has changed for Angeli since then, even if his role as a sophomore wasn’t much different. Angeli became the primary backup for Wake Forest graduate transfer Sam Hartman before making his first and only career start in the Sun Bowl to end the season.
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Angeli could very well be heading for his third season as Notre Dame’s backup quarterback, this time behind Duke transfer Riley Leonard. But there’s so much more trust in what Angeli is in the present this spring.
“Steve got a year to sit and watch Sam and how he prepared, his daily routine both in an outside of the season, and he kind of embraced that,” Guidugli said Tuesday after Notre Dame’s ninth spring practice. “You can see here how its paid off. He’s going to go out there and he’s going to be prepared for practice and he’s going to know the looks, he’s going to know what we’re doing and he’s going to be able to go out and execute.
“I’m really happy with his development too, because if we saw footage from him last spring compared to this spring, totally different guy. Last spring, it was like ‘Man, I don’t know.’ But it’s like, ‘Steve can be a guy.’”
The question that only Angeli can answer later this month when the transfer portal opens April 16 and closes April 30 is if Angeli can still see himself being the guy at Notre Dame. Two ankle surgeries already this year for Leonard could be a reminder of how close Angeli is to significant playing time even if Leonard beats him out for the job. But there could also be significant playing time available elsewhere that doesn’t require someone else getting hurt too.
Angeli said he hasn’t given thought to possible transfer portal destinations and no schools have reached out to him to gauge his interest in leaving the Irish.
“Right now, my entire focus is on Notre Dame,” Angeli said. “I’m a guy that lives in the present. The future can be determined when we get there. It’s not my worry right now. All I’m focused on is these next five, six practices that we have left in spring and just give it my all.”
At the very least, that should lock Angeli in for the third Blue-Gold Game of his career in Notre Dame Stadium next Saturday. Angeli first became a bit of a fan favorite when he led a game-winning touchdown drive to win the 2022 Blue-Gold Game with a diving touchdown run as time expired.
He almost certainly won’t be asked to play late in next weekend’s Blue-Gold Game. His focus as the Irish finish spring is showing a good grasp of new offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock’s offense and showing his teammates that he can be a leader and starting quarterback in the fall.
“Being able to play in this offense and have guys look to me when things get tough,” Angeli said of his goals. “Just being able to show that I can be that guy for this team.”
Last spring, Guidugli said, Angeli struggled with decision making and progressing through passing concepts. That led to him getting stuck and not knowing where to throw the football. Even with the new wrinkles Denbrock has thrown at Angeli this spring, he’s handling it all much better.
“He’s playing with much better anticipation, being able to recognize the defense pre-snap, knowing things like, OK, this side might not be good, I’m going to have to get to the backside pretty quickly,” Guidugli said. “Or understand this is a pressure look, where’s my best outlet for the ball? That’s allowing him to play faster, which keeps us on the chains and keeps the ball moving which is going to lead to us scoring more points.”
Guidugli first started to see Angeli’s ability to handle the offense in preseason camp last year. Angeli started to change pass protection looks and make pre-snap decisions within the offense to show his evolution. The public saw glimpses of that from Angeli late in lopsided victories over Navy, Tennessee State, NC State, Central Michigan, Pittsburgh, Wake Forest and Stanford last season. He finished the regular season 19-of-25 passing (76%) for 272 yards and four touchdowns with one interception.
When Hartman chose to sit out the Sun Bowl, that gave Angeli the opportunity to show what he could do as a starting quarterback. With a makeshift unit around him, Angeli led the Irish to a 40-8 victory over Oregon State, completed 15 of his 19 passes for 232 yards and three touchdowns and rushed eight times for 27 yards. He couldn’t have asked for a much better showing.
“It’s a surreal feeling,” Angeli said. “Winning is addictive and really everything you do here is about winning. Notre Dame is a standard set at winning. So, when you walk on that field that’s all that’s on your mind. So, walking off with first start, first win, it means the world, but you’re just hungry for more.”
Angeli shovels credit in the direction of Guidugli and Hartman for showing him how and allowing him to develop as a quarterback last year. Angeli modeled his preparation and mindset off what he saw Hartman doing. Then when it came time for him to play, Angeli knew he could produce.
“So much of playing that position is confidence,” Guidugli said. “You have to believe in yourself first and foremost, but the other guys in the huddle have to believe in you. It’s my job to build that. You build that by going out there and being consistent.”
The consistency comes through repetition. The ability to physically handle the demands of the position comes through hard work. Since the Sun Bowl, the 6-foot-2, 203-pound Angeli pushed himself to improve his footwork.
“I’ve been able to move faster throughout my reads,” Angeli said. “Having a lot more strength, developing a lot more strength from [director of football performance] Coach [Loren] Landow, especially in the weight room has helped me get more velocity on the ball, being able to push up in the pocket and make more plays with my legs.”
Angeli continues to work on building on-field chemistry and off-field relationships with Notre Dame’s wide receivers. The Irish added four new scholarship receivers to the spring roster since Angeli played in the bowl game. So there are plenty of new faces to connect with and a handful of familiar faces to keep growing with.
In the middle of a starting quarterback competition, Angeli feels supported by his teammates.
"It’s been tremendous," Angeli said. "The bowl game definitely helped a lot, and my play last season definitely helped. But really just developing that relationship and just making sure guys trust you and that you spend time with them, not only in a football setting. It means the world to them and especially to me.
"It’s not only about what you’re doing on the field, but when you’re off the field, you’re kind of hanging out and getting food and doing stuff like that. It means a lot. Talking to guys that are all part of the team.
"It’s hard, because Notre Dame’s a special place. The locker room, like I know everybody’s name, I know all these guys. It might not be like that at other schools. Really we all spend time together all day like they’re all my brothers.
"But when you get on the field and things get tough and you perform in those situations, it definitely builds trust and support."
Angeli continues to give his teammates and coaches reasons to believe in him.
“Steve’s done a great job,” Denbrock said. “He really has. There were a couple instances [last Saturday] where some things we talked about over the course of the last week came to fruition. He adjusted a protection, he got us in a good check and we scored a touchdown. Those things, that progress from him, in particular, has been really, really good. The consistency now for him, in particular, needs to just continue to be as good as it can be.”
Though Leonard has surgery on his right foot March 22, his recovery process has allowed him to be very involved with what the Irish are doing in practice. Leonard was back out on the field throwing the ball around before long and even participated in some 7-on-7 work this week. The competition between the two never really paused.
“My mindset: competition brings out the best in everybody," Angeli said. "Just because he’s not in there taking reps doesn’t mean I’m not still competing. It’s against myself more than anything. Just focusing on my reps, my reps every day that I go into it, and really nothing else. Just kind of having that focus on yourself every day and not everything going on around you."
Angeli’s patience last season led to a special opportunity in the Sun Bowl. But how much more patient is he willing to be? That answer could shape the future of Notre Dame’s quarterback position this season and beyond.
“There’s patience but there’s always a push. You know, it goes both ways. It’s not, you know, you’re not waiting around, you’re still trying to get better and improve yourself every day.”
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