SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Notre Dame’s quarterback trio didn’t make the impending decisions any easier Saturday for head coach Marcus Freeman and his coaching staff. The top three options showed in the Blue-Gold Game why the three-man competition this spring is not only real, but it’s nowhere near its conclusion.
Notre Dame’s annual spring scrimmage this year was different in format with three untimed periods consisting of four drives each. It also came at an odd time in the spring football practice schedule. The Irish will still have three more practices in the coming weeks, which was the result of starting practices later in the semester than usual due to a season that extended into late January.
The Blue-Gold Game still provided a great opportunity for Freeman, offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock and quarterbacks coach Gino Guidugli to evaluate their quarterbacks with the scrutiny of a crowd watching. Depending on your perspective in the reported crowd of 40,621, the final product may have been more reaffirming than revealing.
SUBSCRIBE TO INSIDE ND SPORTS TO STAY IN THE KNOW ON NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS
Related Content
► Decoding what matters from the mirages in Notre Dame's Blue-Gold Game
► Transcript: Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman after 94th Blue-Gold Game
► Notre Dame offense pulls away late for victory in Blue-Gold Game
► Visitors rundown: Notre Dame football spring practice, Blue-Gold Game
► Rivals250 EDGE Rodney Dunham commits to Notre Dame football's 2026 class
That’s because the youngest quarterback of the group, CJ Carr, showed once again why he was the most coveted of the trio as a recruit. The veteran of the group, Steve Angeli, looked unfazed by a slow start in his fourth Blue-Gold Game and finished his day strong with players lower on the depth chart. The most athletic quarterback of the group, Kenny Minchey, showed his running ability and even celebrated a touchdown with a backflip.
“It was a reflection of how the first 11 practices have been,” Freeman said following the game, which ended in a 76-31 victory for the Blue (offense) over the Gold (defense). “Those guys have been battling. They’ve all improved. They’re all doing some really good things.
“It’s crazy to think that you got three guys that all can lead your program to a victory and be your starting quarterback. We’ll evaluate it. We’ll talk about it and have discussions moving forward.”
Notre Dame almost certainly won’t have a starting quarterback decision in the coming weeks. But it will learn if any of the three competitors will opt for a transfer portal entry in the upcoming April 16-25 window. That would make it easier to narrow the focus of the competition in the summer and preseason camp, but it would mean the loss of a candidate who could potentially start if needed.
“You would like to be able to go in the fall with a two-quarterback battle,” Freeman said. “It’s really hard with truly having a three-quarterback battle. We’ve got to sit down and have conversations about what’s best for our program, what’s best for our quarterbacks. We’ll make those decisions in the future.”
Saturday’s Blue-Gold Game, which was just a snapshot in a bigger picture, may have suggested that it’s time for the Irish to have a youth movement at quarterback. Angeli might be the steadiest of the three quarterbacks, but his ceiling doesn’t seem as tantalizing as the others. He proved to be the ideal backup for Notre Dame each of the past two seasons, and he’d probably make the best backup quarterback of the trio in 2025. But it’s hard to ask a player entering his senior season with two years of eligibility remaining who will graduate in May to stick around for such a role.
Angeli started the game at quarterback with ND’s first-team offense against the first-team defense. He threw a pair of incomplete passes on the drive before hitting a 15-yarder to wide receiver Jaden Greathouse on third-and-8. That pushed ND’s offense into the red zone, but the drive stalled from there. A false start by Eli Raridon was followed by a drop by wide receiver Cam Williams. Angeli took a sack from defensive end Bryce Young — which was only determined by whistle because quarterbacks weren’t full contact in the scrimmage — on third-and-17.
Kicker Noah Burnette shanked a 50-yard attempt, which could have been from a more reasonable distance if Angeli got rid of the football. Angeli’s biggest knock has been his propensity to take sacks, and it came back to bite him on the first drive.
The offense went three-and-out on Angeli’s second drive, which came mostly with second-team players. Angeli completed a three-yard pass to wide receiver Logan Saldate on third-and-7. His third drive, which started with a 16-yard pass to wide receiver Jerome Bettis Jr., ended with a turnover on downs. The coaching staff took the ball out of Angeli’s hands for the final five plays of the drive, all of which were runs by running back Aneyas Williams.
Angeli, who finished 8-of-11 passing (72.7%) for 108 yards and one touchdown, finally reached the end zone on his final drive, which came mostly with third-team players. He linked up with running back Nolan James Jr. for a pair of receptions for 50 yards. Then he rolled to his right and connected with wide receiver Scrap Richardson for a 16-yard touchdown.
CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO INSIDE ND SPORTS ON YOUTUBE
Minchey’s first drive ended with a sack, too. The junior-to-be led the second-team offense down the field on the second drive of the game, which was highlighted by Minchey rifling a 19-yard pass on the run to wide receiver Elijah Burress. Denbrock chose to have the offense attempt to convert a fourth-and-6 at the Gold’s 19-yard line, but Minchey was sacked by linebacker Preston Zinter, who was taking reps at vyper defensive end, for a six-yard loss. Minchey didn’t have much of a chance to evade that whistled sack after scrambling for a five-yard gain on the previous play.
Minchey’s second drive, which came with first-team players, ended with a turnover on downs as well. He tried to connect with slot receiver Will Pauling on third-and-11 and fourth-and-11 to no avail. His fourth-down heave went into the end zone, but it didn’t give Pauling a chance to run away from safety Tae Johnson, who broke up the pass.
Minchey, who finished 6-of-14 (42.9%) for 106 yards, looked his best on his third drive with mostly third-team players. He threw an accurate pass to walk-on tight end Henry Garrity for a 24-yard gain. Then he found tight end Jack Larsen for a 17-yard reception. Minchey finished the drive with a four-yard touchdown run around the left side. He ran to the end zone untouched and then unleashed his backflip after telling his teammates to give him some room.
What gave Carr the leg up Saturday as the best performance from Notre Dame’s quarterbacks was his ability to perform well from start to finish despite a hiccup in the middle. The sophomore-to-be waited to make his first appearance for the third drive of the game against the first-team defense, and his first pass of the game was a perfectly placed ball that led tight end Kevin Bauman to a 23-yard reception near the sideline. He completed a 24-yard pass to Larsen on a similar throw later in the drive. Carr gave them the chance to make nice catches, and they delivered for him.
That Carr drive stalled thanks to a holding penalty by Raridon, but Carr still finished with a meaningful 11-yard completion to wide receiver KK Smith on third-and-21. That set up a 43-yard field goal for Burnette to score the first traditional points of the game.
Carr produced the first touchdown of the game at the end of 12-play, 60-yard drive in which he converted three third-and-longs with passes. Twice Carr opted for shorter throws to running back Kedren Young, but he read the defense well to give the back an easy conversion. His third-and-11 conversion came on a 16-yard strike to Cam Williams. Carr’s touchdown throw went to Burress in the flat, who dove for the pylon on the two-yard touchdown.
Carr’s first failures came on his third drive. He threw incomplete on third down to Saldate for a three-and-out. He was allowed to stay on the field for more plays, but two plays later he threw an interception to defensive back Ben Minich. Carr made a poor decision to throw to Saldate, who was blanketed in the slot from the start by Minich. But Carr tried to force the issue with pressure coming and allowed Minich to make a play.
Carr, who finished 14-of-19 (73.7%) for 170 yards with two touchdowns and one interception, bounced back on the last drive of the game. With mostly third teamers joining him, Carr led a six-play, 55-yard touchdown drive. He capped it with a 27-yard touchdown pass to walk-on wide receiver Xavier Southall.
Saturday shouldn’t and won’t be the end of the quarterback competition. The easy decision would be to give Angeli the job. Notre Dame might not need a true difference maker at quarterback this season behind a strong offensive line and a loaded running back room. And maybe Angeli’s experience leads him to being the best decision-maker of the group.
But Carr’s performance Saturday should speak the loudest. Perhaps the most understandable decision Freeman and his staff could make would be to tap Carr as the starter prior to the season opener. Mistakes like his interception may prove hard to overcome in the first two games of the season at Miami (Aug. 31) and at home against Texas A&M (Sept. 13). Yet it’s hard to deny the talent he continues to show with his arm and the poise that’s present in his game.
Freeman said he saw “a lot of good” from Notre Dame’s quarterbacks. If the Irish want a chance at winning the national championship if 2025, they might need to find greatness at the position. Making the right choice could be the most difficult part.
“They’re all playing at a very high level,” Raridon said. “If I were to make a decision, I wouldn’t know who to pick either. It’s definitely a hard decision for them. Whoever it is will do a good job.”
---------------------------------------------------------------
• Talk with Notre Dame fans on The Insider Lounge.
• Subscribe to the Inside ND Sports podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, SoundCloud, Podbean or Pocket Casts.
• Subscribe to the Inside ND Sports channel on YouTube.
• Follow us on Twitter: @insideNDsports, @EHansenND and @TJamesND.
• Like us on Facebook: Inside ND Sports
• Follow us on Instagram: @insideNDsports
