QB Competition Narrows as Notre Dame Eyes the Future with Carr and Minchey

Marcus Freeman has preached competition since he accepted the head coaching job. 

The highly anticipated quarterback battle was the definition of that as the Irish pulled off the rare feat of letting three signal callers battle it out this spring. 

Following spring practice, Notre Dame is down to CJ Carr and Kenny Minchey as Steve Angeli entered the Transfer Portal on Thursday afternoon. 

It’s hard to say Angeli’s departure was a surprise for many reasons. The New Jersey native was somewhat at a disadvantage due to his age and how football coaches look at potential. If all three quarterbacks were even, then it’s an easy decision to go with the younger guys. 

Freeman hinted following the spring game that Notre Dame would be having some tough conversations this week as the program needed to move to a two-quarterback battle entering the summer. 

“You would like to be able to go into the fall with a two-quarterback battle,” Freeman stated on Saturday. “It’s really hard with a three-quarterback battle. We have to sit down and have conversations about what’s best for our program and our quarterbacks. We’ll make those decisions in the future.” 

Now, Angeli still has two years remaining, but it’s also easy to see why Freeman and his staff made the decision to move forward with Carr and Minchey.

In what we’ve seen, Carr can push the ball down the field and, quite frankly, make throws Notre Dame hasn’t gotten from the position since DeShone Kizer. The two highlight throws on Saturday were a prime example of the accuracy and will to push the ball, which is exactly what Mike Denbrock needs from his quarterback. 

Minchey might not have the accuracy of Carr, but he showed the ability to take shots and then his ability to put pressure on the defense with legs is simply something Angeli and Carr can’t do. If Denbrock wants someone who can create and extend plays, Minchey fills that void, while also being able to spray the ball to different spots of the field. 

Regardless of who is named the starter, Notre Dame will be able to attack all areas of the field and won’t be limited to sideline throws. Sure, it wasn’t always pretty during Saturday’s spring game, but it’s clear Notre Dame’s quarterbacks are willing to push the ball into the seam and take deep shots, Angeli included. 

A FEW QUICK ANGELI MEMORIES
I have to put Angeli on blast for a second. 

Angeli committed on March 4th of 2021 and set a commitment time of 8:00 PM. He texted me at 6:55 PM, giving a short rundown of his plans and that he was waiting for Hayes Fawcett to finish a graphic, and then he’d go public with his commitment. 

ISD was obviously prepared for the commitment (😎) but 8:00pm rolls around and Angeli sends a text that says, “Pushing it back to 8:10.”

And then the following texts were sent: 8:15...8:20....8:30...8:35....8:40....

Angeli made his Twitter post to announce his decision at 8:40. 

It was a funny moment where you could tell he was starting to get a little annoyed. It’s the biggest moment of his life and it was in the hands of another high schooler making a graphic. 

But that’s also Angeli. He’s on his details and communication never lacked. In fact, this spring, Angeli was routinely taking his receivers out to dinner or making sure they were getting extra work in outside of practice. 

It has always been Angeli’s dream to play at Notre Dame. He and his family routinely posted photos on social media of him as a little kid in Irish gear, so the decision to leave wasn’t one Angeli wanted.

What will Angeli bring to his future school? It’s hard to know exactly because we’ve seen short doses. 

Yet, we do know Angeli will be ready when his number is called. Throughout his time at Notre Dame, Angeli was ready to play. In mop-up time, Angeli would move the offense. He was ready to be the starter when his number was called and led Notre Dame to a blowout win.

The Orange Bowl drive made him a fan favorite. It's not that players check out during playoff games, but no one would have blamed him if he had gone in the game and gone 1-for-3, coming in cold off the bench, especially in that situation. 

Angeli was ready for it because he’s a pro. Would Notre Dame have made the comeback if Angeli hadn’t come in with guns blazing? I’m not sure as that momentum was an enormous turning point. 

THE FUTURE
Notre Dame’s quarterback room has improved under Gino Guidugli, and even with Angeli’s departure, there is depth. Sure, it’s probably a little uneasy having two quarterbacks without meaningful game experience, but at the same time, Notre Dame has two talented kids who can throw the ball around the yard. 

Perhaps the most significant difference in 2025 will be the lack of quarterback runs in Denbrock’s offense. Zone read and RPOs will still be part of the offense, but neither Carr nor Minchey will be running 184 times as Riley Leonard did in 2024. 

Will the starter complete 66.7 percent of their passes like Leonard did last fall? Probably not, but Notre Dame’s yards per completion will likely be higher than last year’s 10.7. It was 11.6 in the spring game, which matched Leonard’s yards per completion in the national title game - the game where Notre Dame’s passing game took shots. 

With Angeli moving on, it’s also likely Tyler Buchner will move back to the quarterback room after spending a year with the receivers. What will his role be? It’s hard to say at this point, but he brings experience to the table, which is something the Irish don’t have in the room, especially when you add in early enrollee Blake Hebert. 

At a minimum, Buchner knows what it’s like to be the starter at Notre Dame and can help mentor Carr or Minchey through that rollercoaster. And if the worst-case scenario happens, where Carr and Minchey would be unavailable, Notre Dame would have a player who has game experience over throwing an early enrollee to the wolves of college football. 

The intrigue of the quarterback position at Notre Dame is only starting. All eyes will be on South Bend during fall camp, which will be a good test for Carr and Minchey as they’ll have to earn the job with a little bit of pressure.

Notre Dame will also benefit from a competition going into the fall, as both quarterbacks will continue to push each other. 

“It was a reflection of how the first 11 practices have been,” Freeman said of the spring game. “Those guys have been battling. They’ve all improved. They’re all doing some really good things.” 

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