Notre Dame down to CJ Carr, Kenny Minchey vying for top QB - ESPN

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Notre Dame's quarterback competition will continue into the summer, as freshman CJ Carr and sophomore Kenny Minchey will vie for the top job after senior Steve Angeli entered the transfer portal.

Angeli, who served as Notre Dame's primary backup the past two seasons and led a key scoring drive in the CFP semifinal win against Penn State, had the most experience entering the spring. But he entered the portal Thursday, before Notre Dame had wrapped up its spring session. All three quarterbacks played April 12 in the Blue-Gold Game, when Carr performed best with 170 passing yards, two touchdowns and an interception.

«Both, we believe, have the ability to be the starting quarterback,» coach Marcus Freeman said Wednesday of Carr and Minchey, who has appeared in four games in two seasons at Notre Dame. «Both have done a tremendous job improving through spring practice.»

Freeman and offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock said all three quarterbacks performed well during the spring, but dividing practice reps into thirds limited the evaluation. Notre Dame expected to reduce the candidate pool before the summer.

Notre Dame is replacing starting quarterback Riley Leonard, a transfer from Duke who helped the Irish to their first three CFP wins and a spot in the national title game. The Irish have gone with experienced transfers at quarterback in the last two seasons with Leonard (Duke) and Sam Hartman (Wake Forest) in 2023.

«I don't know that our goal was necessarily to name a starter at the end of the spring, as much as it was to identify, 'OK, let's get this to a manageable number,' which most people would agree is two, and then allow those guys to battle,» Denbrock told ESPN. «The final decision, obviously, was a