Notre Dame put a stamp on fall camp with its annual jersey scrimmage, which the defense won on Sunday morning inside the stadium.
For the last seven months, all eyes have been on CJ Carr and Kenny Minchey as they’ve battled to be Notre Dame’s starting quarterback when the Irish take the field in 14 days.
Some folks (not ISD readers) expected Marcus Freeman to name a quarterback on Sunday, especially after reports surfaced that Minchey had won the job earlier this week, but those turned out to be fake news, as no decision has been made.
“We’re still in a competition,” stated Freeman. “We’ll go back and evaluate today’s practice and make a decision. We have to make a decision here soon. I don’t know when we’ll make it. I don’t want to put a timeline on it.”
The encouraging piece in the puzzle is that Freeman believes both quarterbacks have taken positive strides in their game and the room has become better from the competition.
“They’ve both been playing really, really well,” explained Freeman. “We have two guys who have been battling all of camp and today was no different. Guys went out there and battled. There were some good things and some things we have to improve.
“The best thing I love is that they’ve both gotten better, and that’s the whole point of having a competition. If you have a competition, it can raise the level of the people in the competition and that’s what has happened. Both have really elevated their play and we’ll make a decision soon.”
The spring was the first chance for both quarterbacks to truly shine and show what they could bring to the table on and off the field.
Freeman and the staff paid close attention, which led to no surprises during camp and that’s a positive development.
“They’re both really good players,” stated Freeman. “They both have a short-term memory. They’re able to move forward from mistakes. They’re coachable. They both work at the game. They work outside of the NCAA-mandated hours.
“There’s not much negative I can say about them. Those dudes are improving and doing a really good job.”
It’s also worth noting that the Irish defense likely isn’t making it easy on the quarterbacks. It’s clear both quarterbacks have a firm grasp on the offense, but it’s a different animal to go out and execute against one of the nation’s top defenses, including perhaps the top secondary in college football.
“I think they're seeing different things defensively,” explained Freeman. “Our defense isn't exactly what Miami's defense is gonna be. They're learning football, right? As we get out of today and tomorrow, we'll start truly working scout teams and truly working the Miami game plan.
“But today was all about learning the game of football and they're learning a lot because they're seeing a lot of things defensively and they gotta be able to process it, process the checks and the downfield decisions and I think it's a benefit for them.”
Offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock believes Notre Dame has two quarterbacks who can win games for the Irish, and perhaps more importantly, he feels the locker room is behind Carr and Minchey.
“They're both good enough to help us win football games, and that's why it's such a close competition,” said Denbrock. “Both of those young men have tremendous love and respect within the framework of our locker room. We're not as freaked out about the fact that somebody hasn't been named the starting quarterback as a lot of people seem to be, but it's because we know both individuals involved. We know how their teammates feel about them, care about them, trust them, and they both played really well.
“We're gonna figure this thing out and get the information out there when Coach Freeman decides it's time for that to make it out.”
Denbrock also didn’t hide from the fact that there will be growing pains and likely some challenging moments in Miami with a first-time starting quarterback. A hostile environment against a top 10 team isn’t the ideal scenario for a first start, but Denbrock is confident that Carr and Minchey can figure it out.
“No matter who we name the quarterback, it's no easy task going down to Miami and playing them in a season opener," Denbrock explained. “So some of those things obviously only happen in situations in the speed of the game, and those things only happen in game situations. No matter who the starter is, there will be a learning curve involved in all of this. But we're confident that we've got two guys who can compete at a very high level and do a really, really good job.”
As for the decision, Freeman will lean on his offensive staff to provide feedback and opinions, but ultimately, it will be the head coach's call.
“In a lot of decisions I make, I involve people,” Freeman said. “I believe we have the best staff in America. How do you not take some of their opinions into account? We'll talk and at the end of the day, I have to make a decision and it will be my decision.
“I'm not passing this along on anybody else. I have to make a decision, but I will take into account, like I do all my decisions, the coaches, and then we'll tell the players and we'll move forward.”
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