Two weeks from Notre Dame’s season opener against Miami, the biggest question of fall camp remains unanswered: who is QB1 for the Fighting Irish this fall? Head coach Marcus Freeman made it clear after the final scrimmage of camp that neither Kenny Minchey nor CJ Carr has separated enough to earn the job — at least not yet. Or he’s at least not ready to say anything definitive publicly.
“We’re still in a competition,” Freeman said. “We’ll go back and evaluate today’s practice and make a decision. We’ve got to make a decision here soon. I don’t want to put a timeline on it, but they’ve both been playing really, really well.”
Freeman added that while the decision is coming, he’s been intentional about not rushing the process. “As soon as one clearly says he should be the starter, then we’ll make a decision. Now, we have to make a decision before we play, and we will, but there hasn’t been that moment where this guy said he is clearly the starter. They’ve been battling, and they’ve both been doing a really good job.”
Pushing QBs Into Pressure Situations
Throughout camp, Freeman has emphasized simulating game-deciding moments to test both quarterbacks.
“Every day we’ve done some type of two-minute situation in camp, and today was no different at practice 15,” he explained. “Part of it is high pressure, but it’s also about understanding those critical details — the last minutes of the half, last minutes of a game, and the decisions you’ve got to make. And it’s not just for the quarterbacks, it’s for everybody. But I think they’ve done a really good job.”
Freeman Prioritizing Decision-Making Above All Else
Asked what he values most in evaluating the competition, Freeman didn’t hesitate.
“Decision-making is more important than anything,” he said. “I don’t want to just sit here and watch the outcome and blame the quarterback. It’s like, what decision was he supposed to make? Did he make the right decision? Then you look and say, ‘Okay, was the ball good? Was the protection right?’ The one thing that they control is their decision-making and their ability to get everybody on the same page.”
Freeman has stressed this since the start of camp – big plays matter, but consistency and the ability to avoid crippling mistakes will decide QB1.
No Surprises, Just Growth
Freeman downplayed the idea that the competition has revealed anything new about either Minchey or Carr.
“Nothing that I didn’t know,” he said. “They’re both really good players, man. And they both have a short-term memory. They’re able to move forward from mistakes. They’re coachable. They both work at the game outside of the NCAA-mandated hours. There’s not much negative I can say about them. Those dudes are improving and doing a really good job.”
A Benefit to the Offense — and the Opener
One concern with dragging out a quarterback battle is that the eventual starter loses valuable reps with the first team. Freeman pushed back on that idea.
“The advantage is our offense — whoever the ones are — has practiced with both quarterbacks and they’re comfortable with both,” he said. “Sometimes you don’t get that when you have a starter and a backup, and all of a sudden that backup comes in with the ones, and there’s confusion with his cadence or calls. I think it’s a benefit.”
That benefit may extend beyond Notre Dame’s roster. With Miami installing a new defensive coordinator and breaking in transfer-heavy personnel, Freeman holding off on naming a starter creates an additional challenge for the Hurricanes’ preparation. The Irish can force Miami to spend practice time scouting both quarterbacks’ skillsets rather than honing in on one.
It’s also possible Notre Dame’s staff already has a strong sense of who will start following the final major scrimmage. Freeman noted, “In a lot of decisions I make, I involve people. I believe we have the best staff in America, and so how do you not take some of their opinions into account? We’ll talk, and at the end of the day I have to make a decision.”
The delay, then, may be less about internal uncertainty and more about allowing the staff to review film, build consensus, and inform both Minchey and Carr before making the announcement public.
What’s Next?
With two weeks until kickoff, Notre Dame’s quarterback question lingers, but Freeman is in no rush to force a decision before it’s clear.
“The best thing I love is that they’ve both gotten better,” Freeman said. “That’s the whole point of having a competition — if you have a competition, it can raise the level of the people in it. That’s what has happened. Both of those two have really elevated their play.”
At some point soon, Freeman will have to decide whether it’s Minchey or Carr who leads the Irish offense onto the field in Miami. Until then, the battle continues — and in more ways than one, Notre Dame may be better off for it.
