QB Kenny Minchey Bringing Football Junkie Mentality and Leadership to Notre Dame
Notre Dame quarterback recruiting was a journey over the last year as Tommy Rees looked to find the face of the 2023 recruiting class.
Several names looked like they would be the guy over the last 18 months. Jackson Arnold, Dante Moore and Avery Johnson had the Irish out in front, but none ever fully committed.
Enter Kenny Minchey. The four-star signal-caller out of Tennessee committed to Pitt early, but then made the decision to flip his commitment in November and signed with Notre Dame on Wednesday.
“The guys that we got, they understand the value of Notre Dame,” stated head coach Marcus Freeman. “It’s twofold, right? They want to play the highest level of college football. We want ultimate competitors that want to play the best. They want to play the teams that we’re playing. They want to play a global, a national brand of football. They want to be first-round picks in the NFL Draft.
“But the other side of that is they understand they’re going to have to really sacrifice in the classroom. They’re going to have to study. They’re going to have to do the difficult things that it takes to earn a Notre Dame education because they understand the value of that. That’s important that they understand that.”
Minchey understands that and that’s what pulled him to South Bend and Rees staying patient with the 6-foot-2, 215-pounder paid off.
“Quarterback recruiting is an imperfect science,” Rees explained. “We're thrilled to have Kenny and his family be a part of Notre Dame. I think we went into the offseason last year with a group of guys that we were interested in and Kenny had camped with us. So there was a relationship that was built there early on.”
Rees has maintained one of the healthiest quarterback rooms in the country over the last few seasons, which hasn’t been an easy task given the intense quarterback competitions, starter switches in season and bringing in graduate transfer Jack Coan in 2021.
Minchey fit the bill in that area, which was important to Rees.
“The ecosystem of the quarterback room is very important to us,” stated Rees. “That's something we're trying to uphold. We didn't want to just add a guy just to add a guy. We weren't looking for somebody to come in and fill a number and just be that role. We want to always bring somebody in that we believe has the tangibles and the physical traits to compete here and be the guy. That's what we found in Kenny.”
Sure, Minchey could have been salty he wasn’t the No. 1 guy on the board from day one, but that is further confirmation he can handle what is to come at Notre Dame. The maturity and football IQ quickly became something Rees couldn’t turn down.
“The more time we spend with him and his family, the more we know and believe that he's the right guy to lead this class,” Rees stated. “He's the guy that we look to in the future as someone that can lead our program. He's a football junkie, which we love, and that's something you learned as you spend time with him. Extremely talented kid. I think it just goes to show that there is so much growth that can be had.”
Quarterback offers seem to come earlier and earlier for prospects, but Rees is more than fine with doing his due diligence as high school kids can in fact get better as upperclassmen contrary to what recruiting services want fans to believe.
“People aren't finished products as sophomores or juniors in high school,” said Rees. “And as you continue to evaluate, and watch film and get around people, you find the right fit. That's something I think, more now than ever, is the evaluation process in recruiting has to be at a premium. You can't stop evaluating junior year, you can't stop evaluating because the kid's ranked highly or ranked lowly.
“You got to really dig in and find the right people and find the guys that fit what you're trying to do with your program and your scheme.”
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