Evaluating Notre Dame's Ongoing Quarterback Battle

With the Blue and Gold game officially in the books, the takes on who should open the season as Notre Dame's starting quarterback are piling in from every corner of sports media.

Photo by The Irish Tribune

Steve Angeli, Kenny Minchey, and CJ Carr are all firmly entrenched in what is the most important position battle of the season by far, and all three possess different, but beneficial skill sets. There is only so much that can be extrapolated from a game that is centered around showcasing talent more than it is about true simulated gameplay, but I would say at this point, there is enough film on each player to start deciphering what the pecking order could look like come Labor Day. I am going to do a deep dive on each potential candidate for who might be under center for the Fighting Irish in 2025, and ultimately give my unbiased opinion on who that should be and why.

Steve Angeli

I feel that it is only right to start with the upperclassman who has the most experience under his belt. Some things are impossible to know, but it would be very easy to make the argument that Notre Dame would not have found themselves in the National Championship last season if not for Angeli's surgical second quarter drive in the Orange Bowl, which ultimately sparked the comeback. He also had a very efficient game in his lone start, which was the 2023 Sun Bowl vs Oregon State.

Pros

I think of the three quarterbacks, Angeli has the best footwork. He keeps a good base as he climbs the pocket and fairly consistently transfers his weight to his front hip on his release. I also believe he has the best ball placement. His short and intermediate game has high-level accuracy attached to it, and he usually puts the ball on the correct shoulder of the receiver, allowing for yards after the catch. His arm strength is good, but not elite, and he still has enough zip on the ball to fit it in versus tight coverage on the first and second levels of the field. His mental processing is solid, which isn't surprising considering he is the oldest of the bunch with the most in-game experience. He works through his progressions and knows when to dump it off short. His leadership is well-regarded, and as mentioned above, playing in some high-pressure situations gives him a unique perspective compared to the other two potential starters who have yet to have that experience.

Cons

Of the three quarterbacks, Angeli has the slowest release, with a bit of a longer delivery. I think his accuracy diminishes somewhat the further downfield he is pushing the ball, which limits the type of shots the offense can take regularly. Angeli has limited mobility, and although Mike Denbrock is looking put the ball in the air more than he did with Riley Leonard, not having that potential threat of the QB using his legs to keep defenses honest could be a detriment to the offense as a whole. Angeli is also prone to taking sacks, something we've seen more often than not during his limited playing time.

Kenny Minchey

Minchey, who started out as the dark horse in this race, is certainly starting to garner some confidence from those who are closely following this QB battle. The junior from Tennessee offers a multitude of ways to get the job done via air and ground, and if he had not suffered an injury during his senior year of high school, he probably would have been a more coveted prospect. Notre Dame was able to land him as a top 15 QB in his class, and after sitting behind a couple of transfer quarterbacks the last couple of seasons, he is finally ready to stake his claim as heir apparent.

Pros

Minchey has a very quick release and is decisive with where he goes with the ball. He possesses the arm strength to make throws at all levels of the field, and some of his deep shots look effortless. He displays good accuracy both in and out of the pocket, and when he does have to go on the move, he keeps his eyes downfield. Minchey is Kyler Murray-esque with his run style as opposed to the type of bruising scrambler Riley Leonard was, but is a true dual threat in every sense of the word, and Mike Denbrock has always thrived with those types of QBs.

Cons

Consistent ball placement will need to improve for Minchey, especially in the intermediate game. H needs some quicker footwork on his 5-7 step drops to avoid letting the pocket collapse and to give himself a chance to scan the whole field before having to get rid of the ball. Although Minchey is very comfortable working from outside the pocket, when he does stand in, his internal clock for sensing pressure needs to be a tick faster. You can tell he has some "gun-slinger" to his game, which isn't always a bad thing, but taking care of the ball is objective number one for an offense, so he will need to know when to take his shots.

CJ Carr

The hype train for Carr has been up and running for the better part of a year and a half, and it isn't just coming from inside Notre Dame fandom. College football analysts like Kirk Herbstreit have also touted Carr as the next big-time quarterback in South Bend, which has led many to believe it's a foregone conclusion that he would be taking over. Although he is yet to attempt a pass at the collegiate level, the potential for Carr is obvious, and he is not going to make it easy for Notre Dame's coaching staff to make a decision.

Pros

In my estimation, Carr has the best deep ball accuracy of the bunch, which he pairs with elite touch. He knows when to take some velocity off his ball and layer passes over second-level defenders. He has the arm strength to attack all areas of the field vertically and horizontally. His high-level post-snap recognition is very apparent, quickly diagnosing the defense and finding the soft spot to take advantage of. He is not the runner Kenny Minchey is, but he displays good movement skills within the pocket and is dangerous enough with his legs that defenses will have to respect it. He's had good situational awareness going back to his high school days, coming up big on 3rd and 4th downs and in the red zone, which is important.

Cons

Throwing with anticipation separates good from great QBs, and it's an area I think Carr is currently lacking in somewhat. He does not always trust his eyes, and will hang on to the ball until the receiver completely comes open, especially on out-breaking routes, which limits YAC and gives defenders the opportunity to jump routes. Carr does not always generate enough torque through his lower half mechanics, which will leave some passes hanging.

Biggest X Factor: Mike Denbrock's Scheme.

Anyone who watched Mike Denbrock as a play-caller for the first time last year would be left with an impression of him that does not truly reflect the entirety of his coaching career. Make no mistake about it, Denbrock wants to be able to stretch the field vertically. Riley Leonard led Notre Dame to places it has not been in quite some time, and the fans should view him accordingly because of that, but at the end of the day, there were some limitations with him as a passer. I think those limitations were identified early, and to Denbrock's credit, he crafted an offense perfectly suited for Leonard to run, and it yielded major results on the field. But even going back to his first stint as Notre Dame's offensive coordinator in 2014, he was pushing the ball deep and having success doing so. Fast forward to 2023, and he helped unlock LSU's Jayden Daniels' previously untapped potential and turned him into a Heisman-winning quarterback. He needs a QB that can also hit plays outside the numbers horizontally, which forces defenses into the unenviable decision of whether to keep people in the box to play the run or defend the entire field. The zone read, which was on full display last year for Notre Dame, is also another staple of what Denbrock likes to do.

With everything that was discussed above, if I had to pull a name today and declare him the starter of the 2025 Notre Dame Fighting Irish, it would be Kenny Minchey. When it comes to Steve Angeli, I don't think his strengths match what it is that Mike Denbrock wants to do this upcoming season. He is a solid player, and I am sure he will get plenty of consideration from the coaching staff, but when it is all said and done, I just don't think he has the upside to raise this offense another notch from where they were a season ago. As far as CJ Carr, I think he is Minchey's biggest competition, and for very good reason. The arm talent, the deep throw proficiency, and high-level IQ make him worthy of being a starter. Where I think Minchey edges him is the decisiveness with which he delivers his throws. Where Carr will take an extra hitch to make sure the WR is getting separation, Minchey will be a half second quicker with that read, and a half second is all the time it takes for a good play to become a bad play. Minchey's value as a runner can not be understated as well. With Notre Dame potentially fielding the best running back rotation in the country, behind an offensive line that will be in the Joe Moore conversation by season's end, teams will have no choice but to keep extra defenders in the box or else run the risk of being grinded down quarter by quarter on the ground. With that type of extra attention being given to the run game, teams will have to mix in a lot more man coverage. Man coverage is always going to be more susceptible to being burned by a scrambling QB simply because all the defensive backs have their backs turned downfield, and can not help in run support. Minchey would maximize these situations for Notre Dame's offense, and it will help keep defenses off balance. Minchey also has the top-end arm strength to stretch the field and take advantage of his one-on-one matchups on the outside, with a receiving core that should be the best Notre Dame has fielded in years.

Mike Denbrock will be able to roll the pocket with confidence knowing Minchey can make throws on the move, and defenders will have to account for every blade of grass, which is what made that 2023 LSU offense so potent. I see no reason why Minchey would not be able to pick up right where Riley Leonard left off last season, and have Notre Dame in the thick of another playoff run when the regular season concludes. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, he is my choice for who runs out of the tunnel as starting QB in Miami on Labor Day.

In the new College Football world of the ever-present transfer portal, I know some fans are worried that whoever it is that does not win the competition may jump ship and look for a starting opportunity elsewhere. And while that very well may end up being the case, in this type of situation, there is no way to make every player happy. As long as Notre Dame rolls out the best team possible, and the results on the field reflect that, there will be plenty more chances to reload at the position and build depth back up. Players, especially quarterbacks, want to play for winners, so as long as Marcus Freeman keeps the team in the hunt for a championship year in and year out, more signal callers will be more than happy to come compete for a job in South Bend.

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