In some ways, Notre Dame on Tuesday announcing CJ Carr as its starting quarterback was what everyone expected.
Carr is, after all, the quarterback the program long projected as its future. The grandson of former Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr and a top-50 recruit from the 2024 class, the Fighting Irish skipped signing a transfer quarterback this offseason because of the program’s belief in Carr, per multiple sources.
But when Marcus Freeman told his team Tuesday — just moments before the program posted its announcement on social media — it did come as a surprise to some in the program.
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Not because some doubted Carr. Instead, it’s because of how close redshirt sophomore quarterback Kenny Minchey made the competition.
“It could have gone either way,” one source said of the competition.
“I think it was 50-50 where guys think it could have went either way where some guys expected one guy and some the other,” another source said.
Minchey, a four-star recruit in the 2023 class, appeared in four games total his first two years at Notre Dame but only attempted three passes during that span.
There were times in camp where sources in and around the program felt like Minchey had a legitimate advantage in the competition. Part of that was the consistency of Minchey’s play. Part of that is Carr can occasionally be aggressive with the football, which can lead to turnovers.
Ultimately, Carr did enough in Notre Dame’s final scrimmage to convince coach Freeman and offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock he was the right guy to lead an Irish offense that’s expected to be among the best rushing attacks in the FBS. It also doesn’t hurt Carr’s case that the Irish made a large investment in him dating back to his time as a high school recruit, which is a real factor in this era of NIL and revenue sharing dollars.
Those around Notre Dame seem to think Carr’s biggest advantage in the competition was his ability to create big plays in the passing game. He’s an aggressive downfield passer who generates explosives. That matters for an Irish program that finished 117th nationally among all FBS teams in passes of 40-plus yards in 2024.
“He has that big-play ability,” said one source.
“Football’s in his blood,” said one source. “He’s got the moxie. He’s got the leadership. He’s got that ‘it’ factor to play that position. Now, he’s just got to go do it.”
Everyone CBS Sports spoke to for this story pointed out that any handwringing about Notre Dame’s quarterback battle is misplaced.
After all, the player that finished, at best, 2A in the quarterback competition during the spring — Steve Angeli — is now the starting quarterback at Syracuse, a job he won in just a matter of months.
“Steve leaving tells you what type of talent these kids have,” said a source.
Notre Dame will find out quickly exactly what Carr will bring as QB1. The No. 6 Irish open the season at No. 10 Miami on Aug. 31 in a Sunday evening primetime matchup. FanDuel currently has Notre Dame favored by 2.5. Two weeks later, the Irish play host to No. 19 Texas A&M.
The extended quarterback battle does raise some potential questions about Carr. But the Irish believes they have one of the nation’s top offensive lines and running back rooms along with an upgraded wide receiver group.
And if Carr hits? The results could be incredible.
“If it turns out really good, it’ll be really, really good,” a source said.
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