The New Jersey native didn’t have a typical recruitment process because the COVID-19 pandemic happened during his evaluation period. This situation prevented prospects from visiting schools and stopped coaches from watching workouts in person.
To overcome this, Angeli and his quarterback coach, Matt Bastardi, organized a private workout to send to coaches, which allowed Notre Dame to evaluate him.
By 2024, Angeli again took the initiative to get extra training during summer break. He traveled to California to train with 3D QB and was joined by other notable quarterbacks such as Jaxson Dart (Ole Miss), Noah Fiftita (Arizona), Nico Iamaleava (Tennessee), Jayden Daniels (Washington), Jared Goff (Detroit), CJ Stroud (Houston), Bryce Young (Carolina), Sam Hartman (Washington), Michael Penix (Atlanta), and JJ McCarthy (Minnesota).
“Just going and getting around a new group of people, 3D QB, definitely helped me a lot,” Angeli said. “Going out there and learning some new things, working on some stuff, and getting new perspectives. You’re always able to improve, so I wanted to get in front of new eyes to see what I could work on.”
Angeli gained valuable experience last year by playing in eight games, including starting the Sun Bowl and leading Notre Dame to a victory over Oregon State.
The 6-foot-2, 205-pound player has noticed the benefits of live experience, and it is showing in fall camp.
“I feel like I’ve been in a season of constant improvement every day,” Angeli said. “Whatever the one or two things I’m focusing on to improve each day, I feel I’m hitting those targets every day.”
In the past two seasons, Angeli has watched as Notre Dame brought in a transfer quarterback to start, which must have been challenging for him. However, Angeli has not shied away from the competition and chose not to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal, unlike many quarterbacks in similar situations.
“My philosophy is I’m not a quitter,” Angeli said. “I like to do stuff the hard way. There are definitely easier routes, but being a guy who made a decision to come here, I’m going to do it all like that and stay here and make it work.”
Angeli and the other Notre Dame quarterbacks face the challenge of learning a new offense again this season. Mike Denbrock has introduced a fast-paced scheme aimed at creating big plays, but it requires strong quarterback play and good decision-making.
“I have a great feeling about the offense,” Angeli said. “I had a full spring ball under my belt going into camp and having all the receivers get here to get up to speed. I feel really good about where I’m at.”
Quarterbacks coach Gino Guidugli deserves recognition for making sure all four quarterbacks get valuable practice time during camp.
Marcus Freeman’s decision to adjust team periods has also helped, as the varsity team works on one field while the third and fourth string players use another field for similar practice.
“Coach Gino does a great job of scripting practice for us and giving out the reps,” Angeli said. “He’s done a great job of getting everyone their fair share of reps to improve.”
