A look at what the media is saying after Notre Dame landed its quarterback in the 2022 class, Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic’s Steve Angeli.
Mike Singer, BlueandGold.com: Commit Story: Steve Angeli Commits To Notre Dame
Notre Dame’s search for a quarterback commit in the 2022 class has come to an end.
The program’s first offer in the cycle went out to Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic’s Steve Angeli on Aug. 17, 2020, and the four-star passer has announced his pledge to the Fighting Irish.
“When the dead period got pushed back again, I hunkered down and wanted to get this done with,” Angeli told BlueandGold.com. “I’ve been deciding on Notre Dame for about a month — talking to my family and coaches.
“Then yesterday, [Bergen Catholic] Coach Vito Campanile talked to Coach [Tommy] Rees three times and told him that he thinks it’s time. He gave Coach Rees the hint, and I talked to [Rees] later that night. I told him I wanted to commit, and he set up a Zoom for me to talk to Coach [Brian] Kelly with my family and coaches.”
Angeli’s recruitment started prior to his sophomore season with his first scholarship offer coming from Ohio State. He went on to receive 23 offers in total, including LSU, Michigan, Oregon, Penn State and Stanford.
“It’s been a long process, but I’m so happy to finally be able to make this official,” Angeli said. “I can’t be any more excited than I am right now. I’m excited to let the world know that I’m coming to South Bend.”
Angeli has formed a close relationship with Rees over the past several months. They’ve had plenty of text message conversations, phone calls and Zoom chats in the past eight months or so.
“He was super excited,” Angeli said of Rees regarding the moment he committed. “He told me that with everything in recruiting, he keeps coming back to my intangibles and who I am. He told me to keep working hard and that my talent is out of this world. He’s super excited and happy for me.”
Mike Singer, BlueandGold.com: COLUMN: Notre Dame QB Commit Steve Angeli’s Ceiling Is High
Ever since Notre Dame offered Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic class of 2022 quarterback Steve Angeli last August, there has been a lot of time for message board fodder — and many conversations have taken place about the 6-3, 215-pounder on BlueandGold.com’s Rockne's Roundtable forum.
The reviews have been mixed. Some love the prospect, while others think Angeli follows in the mold of quarterbacks at Notre Dame under Brian Kelly who are good but not quite “elite” enough to help the Irish win a major bowl or College Football Playoff matchup.
Will Angeli be a national championship-caliber quarterback? The answer is the same for the other three signal-callers Notre Dame offered (Drew Allar, Ty Simpson and Gavin Wimsatt). Who knows? There’s just no guarantee to what these high school juniors will be at the next level.
WHAT NOTRE DAME IS GETTING
Angeli doesn’t have an extensive track record on the field but, in just over one season as the full-time starter for Bergen Catholic, Angeli has really impressed with his physical abilities. He has a strong arm, solid mechanics, and above-average footwork. Angeli developed a good sense of timing with his receivers and understands who to throw the ball to and when to throw it. He’s played against some of the best competition in the country so he understands when to take risks throwing the ball and when to pull it down and run with it. Angeli is a tough runner that isn’t afraid to lower his shoulder but he isn’t going to pick up huge chunks of yards on the ground. There is still plenty Angeli has to learn about deciphering a defense and moving to his second, third, or fourth read but he has the physical tools to be an elite quarterback. Throwing the ball accurately is something Angeli has done well with but there are times when he struggles with his consistency.
WHY IT'S BIG FOR THE FIGHTING IRISH
Notre Dame had hoped to secure Angeli’s commitment for a long time and they’ve finally done it. The extended dead period seems to have helped them a bit by making it more difficult for Angeli to visit other schools. Notre Dame has done a great job recruiting on the offensive side of the ball in this 2022 recruiting class and Angeli is a great fit for their offensive style. His commitment should also help Notre Dame in the recruitment of his current teammate, four-star cornerback Jaeden Gould.
COACH REACTION
Bergen Catholic head coach Vito Campanile
On Steve Angeli’s junior season and approach to the game …
“I think he was beyond ready to take the reins. He really has a great approach to the game. He works tirelessly at it. His off-the-field work — in the film room and on the white board — he just loves football. That’s huge. He’s developed himself into a coach on the field.
“He’ll actually do a lot of the install of what we’re implementing in the offense with the receivers, which I think is a really good quality for us. It allows us to do a lot more, as far as double-calling plays and understanding protections. He’s really good at the RPO game too. He does a great job in a lot of different capacities. He has an open-door policy to do some things if he sees it. He’s done a really nice job with that too.
“For a kid who is 6-3, 209 to be able to pull the ball and elude rushers is impressive. There are free runners who he escapes, and it makes us look like better play callers. He did a really good job throwing under duress this year and making plays that way.
“He checks just about every box — the size, acumen of football, loving the game, unbelievable character kid and 4.0 [GPA] student. 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.”
On Angeli as a young man …
“He lives almost an hour away from school but he’s never missed a lift in his career. He’s a 4.0 student and is ranked third in his junior class. He does everything to the pinnacle. He’s competitive and accountable. He’s a super kid.”
“He’s every bit as good of a person as he is player. He’s a tremendous kid with a tremendous work ethic. When you have high-level talent kids, he’s as coachable of a player as I’ve been around. He just wants to be coached and get better.”
On Angeli and Notre Dame …
“It checks every box for what he’s about from the academic side and the football program and traditions of the school. It’s a great match with his skill set and their schematics.
“I really appreciate the way Coach Rees has handled the recruiting process — very honest and direct. He really vetted Steven out as a person, which is why I think they have so many successful kids there. I even told Tommy that I had the chance to coach in the All-American Bowl in Texas last year, and a couple of kids that were going to Notre Dame (Michael Mayer and Jordan Johnson) were such great character kids on top of being great players. What they look for in recruiting you can tell within the players that they get.”
QB expert Greg Holcomb
“Angeli is the complete package. His pocket presence and poise is well beyond that of a normal 2022 quarterback. He stands in and makes high level throws in tight windows, all while having great feet, balance and posture. Angeli can also move well under conflict and extend plays while finding open receivers and completing high level, difficult off-platform throws. He’s a pass-first, run-second quarterback. When he has to, he can tuck it and run. Angeli has all the tools to be a very special quarterback in the 2022 class.”
VIDEO REACTION
SOCIAL MEDIA REACTION
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