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Notre Dame went into spring practice with a three man battle at quarterback, drawing plenty of national attention. Throughout spring practice, veteran Steve Angeli, rising junior Kenny Minchey and rising sophomore CJ Carr all performed to the best of their abilities to stay in the competition heading into the summer. At the end of spring, after the annual Blue Gold game, Angeli elected to enter the transfer portal with two years of eligibility left; the rest of the quarterback room remains intact heading into the summer.
The Irish have four quarterbacks on their roster, three of them scholarship players with Anthony Rezac being the lone walk-on. True freshman Blake Hebert was an early enrollee and benefitted from being around the team during part of their post season run and all throughout the spring. Minchey is now the veteran in the room and has been with the program the longest while Carr remains the at-large favorite to win the starting job in the fall, but one thing is certain, this is an extremely young and talented group quarterback coach Gino Guidugli has to work with.
There is the potential for an addition to this unit, and they won't have to dip into the portal to get him. Walk-on wide receiver Tyler Buchner started at quarterback for Notre Dame in 2022 before transferring to Alabama in 2023. He returned to the Irish in 2024 as a walk-on receiver. Head coach Marcus Freeman said it's an option to move Buchner back to quarterback to add depth and experience to the room, and Irish Breakdown fully expects that move to happen.
They are who we thought they were, and that couldn't be a more positive takeaway from the spring. Minchey's athleticism flashed throughout the spring showing his ability outside of the pocket as a runner and as a passer. His arm strength was on full display between the jersey scrimmage and the Blue-Gold Game. While is upside in spring was tremendous, Minchey still has to find a way to start practices faster and play at a more consistent level.
Carr played at an extremely high level throughout the spring as well. He threw a walk-off touchdown in the Jersey Scrimmage and led the offense on three scoring drives in the Blue-Gold Game, which was more than any other quarterback. There isn't a throw on the field Carr can't make and he showcased his elite accuracy on April 12. As a young player, Carr still has work to do when it comes to learning when a play is over and not holding onto to the ball longer than he should while trying to make a play.
Hebert is still extremely raw, but his size and arm strength is off the charts. He has a long road ahead before he's game-ready, but the tools are there for him to develop into a starter and playmaker down the road.
The performance of Carr and Minchey this spring is why Angeli decided to transfer. Going into the spring that talented young duo was the future, but by the end of the spring they became the present.
The young talent in the quarterback room is undeniable, but fact of the matter is there has yet to be a starter named, which was to be expected exiting the spring. The season will be here before we know it, and the Irish start off their season in a hostile environment against the Miami Hurricanes on August 31. Here are a couple of things we will be looking for from the quarterback room from now until the end of fall camp:
1. Someone Has To Emerge As The Starter - Freeman has said it in multiple press conferences and interviews. He won't put a deadline on the quarterback competition, and a starter will be named when that one player emerges as the starter. Carr and Minchey are both extremely talented and competitive individuals that can win a lot of football games at Notre Dame, but there can only be one starter. They will both have to continue to elevate their performance and continuing developing throughout the offseason to take a lead in this competition.
2. Develop The Depth - The battle for the starting position has drawn a lot of attention, and rightfully so. However, there's still a question surrounding the readiness of the rest of the room. As we have seen in multiple seasons like in 2021, 2022 and 2024, a back up for Notre Dame has had to come in to play or start in crucial moments. Ideally, whoever is deemed the No. 2 quarterback at the end of the competition will accept their role as the backup, but behind them is a true freshman, a walk-on or potentially a converted walk-on wide receiver who hasn't played quarterback in almost two years.
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2024 Recruiting Class
2023 Recruiting Class
2022 Recruiting Class
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The Irish have four quarterbacks on their roster, three of them scholarship players with Anthony Rezac being the lone walk-on. True freshman Blake Hebert was an early enrollee and benefitted from being around the team during part of their post season run and all throughout the spring. Minchey is now the veteran in the room and has been with the program the longest while Carr remains the at-large favorite to win the starting job in the fall, but one thing is certain, this is an extremely young and talented group quarterback coach Gino Guidugli has to work with.
There is the potential for an addition to this unit, and they won't have to dip into the portal to get him. Walk-on wide receiver Tyler Buchner started at quarterback for Notre Dame in 2022 before transferring to Alabama in 2023. He returned to the Irish in 2024 as a walk-on receiver. Head coach Marcus Freeman said it's an option to move Buchner back to quarterback to add depth and experience to the room, and Irish Breakdown fully expects that move to happen.
Post Spring Analysis
They are who we thought they were, and that couldn't be a more positive takeaway from the spring. Minchey's athleticism flashed throughout the spring showing his ability outside of the pocket as a runner and as a passer. His arm strength was on full display between the jersey scrimmage and the Blue-Gold Game. While is upside in spring was tremendous, Minchey still has to find a way to start practices faster and play at a more consistent level.
Carr played at an extremely high level throughout the spring as well. He threw a walk-off touchdown in the Jersey Scrimmage and led the offense on three scoring drives in the Blue-Gold Game, which was more than any other quarterback. There isn't a throw on the field Carr can't make and he showcased his elite accuracy on April 12. As a young player, Carr still has work to do when it comes to learning when a play is over and not holding onto to the ball longer than he should while trying to make a play.
Hebert is still extremely raw, but his size and arm strength is off the charts. He has a long road ahead before he's game-ready, but the tools are there for him to develop into a starter and playmaker down the road.
The performance of Carr and Minchey this spring is why Angeli decided to transfer. Going into the spring that talented young duo was the future, but by the end of the spring they became the present.
Moving Forward
The young talent in the quarterback room is undeniable, but fact of the matter is there has yet to be a starter named, which was to be expected exiting the spring. The season will be here before we know it, and the Irish start off their season in a hostile environment against the Miami Hurricanes on August 31. Here are a couple of things we will be looking for from the quarterback room from now until the end of fall camp:
1. Someone Has To Emerge As The Starter - Freeman has said it in multiple press conferences and interviews. He won't put a deadline on the quarterback competition, and a starter will be named when that one player emerges as the starter. Carr and Minchey are both extremely talented and competitive individuals that can win a lot of football games at Notre Dame, but there can only be one starter. They will both have to continue to elevate their performance and continuing developing throughout the offseason to take a lead in this competition.
2. Develop The Depth - The battle for the starting position has drawn a lot of attention, and rightfully so. However, there's still a question surrounding the readiness of the rest of the room. As we have seen in multiple seasons like in 2021, 2022 and 2024, a back up for Notre Dame has had to come in to play or start in crucial moments. Ideally, whoever is deemed the No. 2 quarterback at the end of the competition will accept their role as the backup, but behind them is a true freshman, a walk-on or potentially a converted walk-on wide receiver who hasn't played quarterback in almost two years.
Be sure to check out the Irish Breakdown message board, the Champions Lounge
Irish Breakdown Content
2025 Depth Chart
2025 Football Schedule
Notre Dame 2026 Scholarship Offers
2025 Commit Rankings - Offense
2025 Commit Rankings - Defense
2024 Recruiting Class
2023 Recruiting Class
2022 Recruiting Class
———————
Become a premium Irish Breakdown member, which grants you access to all of our premium content and our premium message board! Click on the link below for more.
BECOME A MEMBER
Be sure to stay locked into Irish Breakdown all the time!
Join the Irish Breakdown community!
Subscribe to the Irish Breakdown YouTube channel
Subscribe to the Irish Breakdown podcast on iTunes
Follow me on Twitter: @TTrow5
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Continue reading...
