The truth about the Notre Dame QB decision, and how CJ Carr managed to separate from Kenny Minchey in last minute turn of events

The truth about the Notre Dame offseason quarterback battle

Ryan Roberts — National College Football Writer
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The decision has been made. Head coach Marcus Freeman and the Notre Dame staff now have their quarterback going into the 2025 season opener against the Miami Hurricanes on Aug. 31. Redshirt freshman CJ Carr beat out redshirt sophomore Kenny Minchey for the starting spot. It has been all everyone has wanted to talk about over the last several months, and it’s finally over, for now anyway. 

Considering that this was the first true quarterback battle for the Fighting Irish in a couple of years, and the first truly open one since DeShone Kizer vs Malik Zaire almost a decade ago, every move was critically analyzed and written about from the media side. As is typically the case, some things were reported well, some inconsistently, and some were sideswiped by the last-minute movement.

Here’s the truth about the quarterback battle and how Carr came out on top. It was a heck of a ride, and there were some surprises along the way. 

The battle begins 

As is the case with every position battle, there is always a starting point. The intrigue around this quarterback competition began as soon as the 2024 college football season ended. With Riley Leonard off to the NFL and Notre Dame choosing not to bring in a transfer portal quarterback, the winner was going to be a homegrown talent. 

Let’s get the false information about the transfer quarterback situation out of the way. The Fighting Irish staff did their homework on potential options out there (like they always should), and there was interest in one player in particular, but that didn’t go far. Notre Dame loved its room, so there was always the intention to go with someone already in it. 

No, that one quarterback they did deeper homework on wasn’t Quinn Ewers or Jalen Milroe. There was no interest in either player, contrary to what some have tried to suggest. 

It was going to be a three-man battle between Carr, Minchey, and veteran Steve Angeli. Everyone knows how the spring practice battle went. Carr and Minchey both elevated their games, and Angeli became the player on the outside looking in. Credit to Freeman and his staff for having a real conversation with Angeli before the spring even ended about where things stood. 

With Angeli knowing he wouldn’t be the starting quarterback, especially with Carr and Minchey having more eligibility than him, he opted for the portal. Angeli eventually ended up with the Syracuse Orange. He was just named the starter for Syracuse after battling with former LSU transfer Rickie Collins for that job. 

There seemed to be two camps on the fan side, and somewhat in the media, too. Some believed that Angeli may get the nod, citing the appeal of a higher floor and the most in-game experience. Some others felt that one of the younger quarterbacks, most likely Carr, would eventually beat out Angeli due to raw talent and upside. 

The latter obviously was the ideology that won out. With Angeli out of that room, everyone knew that it would be one of the two younger quarterbacks. The vast majority of people, however, were convinced that Carr would ultimately win by a substantial margin.  

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The truth about Carr vs. Minchey 

There are several misconceptions about this quarterback battle between Carr and Minchey entering fall camp, and even more context is needed. When the two left the spring and entered camp, there was an opinion out there that Carr would be the winner in the end, and it wouldn’t take long. It was also portrayed that Carr was the better quarterback all spring, and that appears not to be a consensus opinion. 

I have been told multiple times, by different people in the know, that Minchey was in fact the “winner” of spring. For some, they don’t want to hear that. Carr has been billed as the “Golden Child” who can do no wrong. It’s inconceivable to think that Minchey, who wasn’t rated as high as a recruit, could possibly challenge Carr. 

The truth is that Minchey stepped up and gave Carr everything he could handle.

Regardless of people’s opinions, this was a race much tighter than some wanted to admit. Both Minchey and Carr performed well during the winter, once again showcasing how close this race would be. While Minchey had some momentum entering camp, this was going to be a heated battle, and the tiniest mistakes and struggles would be the difference in the end. 

After the first week or so of fall camp, the backing for Minchey started to get stronger and stronger. This past Tuesday, I was told that he had established a small lead in the race, showing more consistency and growing trust from his team. It wasn’t insurmountable, so Carr had a chance to recover with a lights-out end to the week. 

After each passing day, it appeared that the gap was widening for Minchey. So much so that a possible announcement could’ve come last Friday, but Freeman opted to sit on the new performance from the Jersey Scrimmage and then make a decision based on the full sample size. The staff wanted to utilize every bit of data available.

A big reason for some of the Minchey backing was the dual-threat ability that he brings compared to Carr. Both have big-time throwing ability and passing upside, but Minchey unquestionably brings more as an athlete. While he isn’t a Riley Leonard type of mover, Minchey has more upside in the designed quarterback run game and as a scrambler. 

When you break down Mike Denbrock’s history as an offensive coordinator, he has always valued that impact with his quarterback’s legs, which gave some validity to why Minchey was gaining steam. That’s true whether you look back at his previous stops at Notre Dame, Cincinnati, or LSU. Arguably, the “least athletic” signal caller during that stretch was Kizer, who still managed to rush for 992 yards and 18 touchdowns in two years as a starter. 

The other big reason that Minchey stayed in the competition was his personal growth as a leader. One thing we have consistently heard about Minchey in his two years was that the staff wanted to see him be more assertive and grow in his confidence and command of the offense. We have seen that in a big way this offseason. 

From conversations I’ve had with folks around the program the last few weeks, Minchey had won over important members of the staff, but also the majority of the team. This isn’t a negative on Carr at all. He is a sharp and good young man and is certainly liked in the locker room as well. There has, however, and has continued to be, a growing belief in Minchey before the competition was decided. The team believes in him and would have been more than solid with the decision if it went the other way. 

During the last several days, the sentiment among the fans and media was that Minchey would most likely win in the end. The post from the Notre Dame X account came as a surprise to many. The Irish staff did an outstanding job of keeping the decision private and somehow convinced everyone that Minchey was the person behind the scenes. It was a confusing bit of deception, taking many by surprise, including myself.

Down the stretch, and this is a testament to Carr, he played his best football when it mattered most. Whether you have gone back to watch some of his highlights at Saline High School or watched the last two Blue-Gold Games, there is no questioning that he is an extremely talented thrower. That, on top of his high football IQ, allowed Carr to win out in the end.

Debunking an outrageous storyline 

With some speculation getting out there somewhat prematurely in favor of Minchey, some Notre Dame fans made some harsh judgments about that potential decision. One outrageous storyline that gained steam was that going with Minchey was proof that Freeman opted for the “conservative and safe approach.” 

That opinion is one of the more nonsensical arguments I’ve ever read from a fanbase. We are stating that Minchey, who has only thrown three career passes, and arguably has more natural physical talent, is the safer choice? We can argue who has more upside between Carr and Minchey, but from a floor perspective, Carr has a much greater appeal. 

Carr is the safer choice, but also brings a considerable ceiling as well. Also, if being conservative was the approach that this staff wanted, they would have gone to the portal. They would have just possibly let Angeli “win” the starting quarterback job, citing experience, a 10:1 touchdown to interception ratio, and consistency.

They didn’t do that. They decided to go the unproven but talented route, and Minchey competed incredibly well before Carr won out. Neither is a “Check Down Charlie” like some have indicated. People love making big deals about the Blue-Gold Game performances, so watch this past one and tell me that Minchey doesn’t take chances. 

For once, as a collective fanbase, Notre Dame supporters should sit back and appreciate what we just saw. We wanted two talented quarterbacks to get the chance to compete and fight it out. That is what we saw. Congratulations to Carr for outdueling another gifted signal caller to win the job.

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