Greg McElroy names college QB who could be ‘second coming of Joe Burrow’

Greg McElroy is likely to turn some heads with his latest take.

On Thursday, McElroy shared a clip from his Always College Football podcast with high praise for Notre Dame QB Steve Angeli, suggesting the Irish signal-caller could be in for a Joe Burrow-like 2025 season.

“I’ve seen Steve Angeli thrust into action against a ferocious pass rush in Penn State and one of the best defenses in the country,” McElroy stated. “I saw Steve Angeli go into the lineup and just, methodically, right down the field, accurately carving up a defense. Who’s to say that Steve Angeli’s ceiling, when the real lights are on, isn’t outrageously high?”

Angeli is entering Year 4 of his college football career. After 2 appearances without throwing a pass in 2022, he has seen limited action over the 2023 and ’24 seasons.

“We’ve seen him make 1 start, and it was a couple years ago,” McElroy continued. “What if, when we fast forward to this year, Steve Angeli has some awakening, and, all the sudden, he’s the second coming of Joe Burrow?

“You remember now, Joe Burrow, at Ohio State, was just a guy. In his first year at LSU, he was just a guy. Well, Steve Angeli, up to this point in his career, solid, just a guy. But maybe there’s another level in there we just don’t know about. Because when the game flipped in Joe Burrow’s final season, when he got a chance to run an offense that was built for him, look what happened. Maybe that’s in there for Steve Angeli.”

In 3 seasons, Angeli has appeared in 21 games for the Irish. He is 58-of-80 (72.5% complete) for 772 yards and 10 touchdowns with 1 interception. It’s bold of McElroy to bring up Burrow, but the Irish certainly hope Angeli is another former backup primed for a breakout season late in his career.

Greg McElroy of ESPN and @AlwaysCFB hypothesizes Notre Dame QB Steve Angeli could be the “second coming of Joe Burrow.”

What a revelation that would be for the Fighting Irish. pic.twitter.com/IhiPLXjSkY

— Tyler Horka (@tbhorka) April 2, 2025

Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.