CJ Carr or Kenny Minchey? Our staff picks who will start at quarterback for Notre Dame
The two main combatants are CJ Carr and Kenny Minchey, with Blake Hebert having a very outside chance at winning the job. It will be a very interesting battle between the two (or three), as head coach Marcus Freeman did not name a starter following spring practices.
Notre Dame will now have almost a month to decide who will lead them on the road against Miami, and it's hard to say when the winner will be named. Regardless of that, the staff here at Fighting Irish Wire consisting of Tim Healey, Dave Miller and Michael Chen will still pick who they believe will start against the Hurricanes below.
Tim Healey - contributor
CJ Carr would be my pick -- he's looked a bit better, to my eye, than Kenny Minchey in the limited action that we, the public, can see. That's not to say I don't think Minchey can be successful -- I think he'd be fine in the role. But I see more potential for a higher ceiling out of Carr, at least to this point.
And hey, if the grandson of a legendary Michigan coach can lead Notre Dame to the promised land, that would be icing on the cake.
Dave Miller - contributor
The old adage is if you have two quarterbacks, you have none. I don't necessarily subscribe to that theory, but I wouldn't be surprised if we see both CJ Carr and Kenny Minchey on the field in the season opener at Miami.
Minchey, the No. 180 overall recruit in the 2023 ESPN 300, is entering his third season and has played in four games. He threw for 106 yards and rushed for a touchdown in ND's Blue-Gold spring game. Carr, the grandson of former Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr, threw for 170 yards on 14-of-19 passing with two touchdowns and an interception in the spring showcase.
Ultimately, I think Marcus Freeman and his offensive staff will hand the keys over to Carr. He took only four snaps in 2024 and didn't attempt a throw as he recovered from an elbow injury suffered during preseason camp. But the former Elite 11 QB has shown that he has nice touch and is accurate on downfield throws.
Whoever is the QB1 will operate behind a very strong line and be surrounded by a deep backfield and a bolstered receiving corps. Either one would be successful, but I think Carr has the higher upside.
Michael Chen - site lead
For me, it's about preparing both of them like they will start against Miami, and while it will be only one, both Carr and Minchey have to be ready to take over the offense. You have to believe that Freeman knows this too, which I think is a big reason why he hasn't named his starter.
As for the competition, at this point it's about who has the highest floor, the ceiling will get here later with more reps and experience. I think in both cases that guy is Carr. He's got sneaky athleticism, which will play a big part early for the Irish. It's hard to imagine Mike Denbrock calling for a ton of deep balls early, so we might see a lot of dink and dunk from the offense during the first few games considering the opponents.
That doesn't mean that Notre Dame won't be able to put up points, but getting Carr's and Minchey's feet wet at the level will go a long way. It's a consensus here at FIW, we all think that Carr will be named the starter. How about you?
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This article originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire: FIW Roundtable: Who do we have starting at quarterback for Notre Dame?
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