The Syracuse Orange lineup against UConn featured a lot of changes after a 1-2 start to begin the season, the biggest of which was a quarterback change, swapping out Steve Angeli for Kennesaw State transfer Amari Odom.
Odom came to Syracuse following a great year with Kennesaw State, where he threw for 2,600 yards and 19 touchdowns, as well as rushing for 350 yards and seven more scores. He came in seemingly as a backup to Angeli and ready to take the reins next season; however, as Angeli has struggled,
Fran Brown chose to give the start against UConn to Odom.
Odom made the most of his start, as he scored six touchdowns, five in the air and one on the ground, and threw for almost 400 yards. His five scores through the air are one of only 17 5+ touchdown games for a QB so far this season, one of only 11 if you take out games against FCS opponents. Odom’s six-touchdown night is also the first six-score performance by a Syracuse QB against an FBS opponent since Eric Dungey scored six on Boston College in 2018.
Unfortunately, Odom’s night was not all perfect. He threw two interceptions, including a particularly bad one with six minutes left in a tie game. While Odom is an extremely talented QB, he still clearly needs to warm up to the Power four level a little, as making throws like that against some of the tougher opponents the Orange have coming up could prove to be devastating to the chances of turning this season around.
However, he has likely done enough to stay the starter for the Orange going into Virginia. Brown clearly believes in the QB and talked about his leadership and demeanor during Monday’s press conference. Angeli’s struggles early in the season, including two conference losses, make it seem like the job is currently Odom’s to lose. A win against Virginia, bringing the Orange to 3-2, would likely secure Odom’s spot for a few more weeks, especially if he has another game as he did against the Huskies.
As the Orange look towards the back two-thirds of their schedule. Odom’s performance in the next few games will be extremely important in deciding how the rest of this season will go. If Odom can truly emerge as a viable starting option, that will be extremely important in keeping the Orange competitive in some of the bigger games this season. Syracuse hosts #24 SMU, Clemson, and #3 Notre Dame this season, which are all big opportunities for statement victories.
While 2-2 doesn’t feel good, the season is far from over. It is still very possible that Syracuse could pull off a solid season, which the team can build upon for next year. Odom is still a redshirt junior, so if he turns out to be the player he’s shown flashes of being, Syracuse would have one more year to build around him in 2027. However, we must focus on the now, and if Odom can lead the Orange to a few more victories and save fans from another horrible season like last year, that will likely be good enough to give Syracuse fans some hope going into 2027.
But what do you think? What do you think this team’s ceiling is with Odom?
