Denbrock on Notre Dame QB Battle: Both Can Win Us Games

Notre Dame offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock echoed Marcus Freeman’s message on Sunday when discussing the ongoing quarterback competition between Kenny Minchey and CJ Carr. While Freeman stressed that the battle is raising the level of both players and that a starter will be named soon, Denbrock focused on continuity, consistency, and tailoring the offense to whichever quarterback wins the job.

Key Takeaways from Denbrock’s Presser

• Denbrock emphasized continuity and consistency at quarterback, ruling out rotation.
• Both Kenny Minchey and CJ Carr “are good enough to win us football games.”
• Starter will be chosen based on strengths/weaknesses, but the offense will be tailored accordingly.
• Eli Raridon called “elite” as tight ends regroup after Kevin Bauman’s retirement.
• Wide receivers are benefiting from facing Notre Dame’s top-ranked pass defense, though consistency is still needed.
• Offensive line stability has accelerated progress with four returning starters.
• Freshmen Nolan James (RB) and Elijah Burress (WR) are early standouts.
• Helmet communication continues to evolve — Denbrock joked he sometimes gives QBs too much info.
• Defense has had the edge early in camp, but Denbrock sees that as a positive challenge.

No Rotation Plan

Some programs dabble with rotating quarterbacks – and Notre Dame foolishly tried to do the same in 2016 with Deshone Kizer and Malik Zaire. Denbrock made it clear that Notre Dame doesn’t plan on making the same mistake twice.

“We want continuity and consistency in what we’re doing,” Denbrock said. “There are strengths and weaknesses of both players, and we’ll design plans to attack defenses that take advantage of their strengths and the people around them. But continuity and consistency are the biggest factors.”

Confidence in Either QB

Denbrock emphasized that both Minchey and Carr have earned the trust of the locker room.

“They’re both good enough to help us win football games,” he said. “Both young men have tremendous love and respect within the framework of our locker room. We’re not as freaked out about the fact that somebody hasn’t been named the starter as a lot of people seem to be. We know both individuals. We know how their teammates feel about them, care about them, trust them. And they’ve both played really well.”

That mirrors Freeman’s sentiment after the scrimmage, where he downplayed the urgency to name a starter and instead highlighted how the competition has elevated both signal callers.

Lessons From the Competition

Denbrock also explained how the competition has helped him refine the offense.

“It’s allowed me to really drill down through camp — what are the things they do really well, and what are the things they need a lot of work on?” he said. “Both categories are full. Having the opportunity to gather that data has been pretty valuable. When the starter gets named, we’re already ready to go in that direction.”

Early Season Learning Curve

No matter who earns the starting nod, Denbrock acknowledged that real tests will come under the lights.

“No matter who we name the quarterback, it’s no easy task going down to Miami in a season opener,” he said. “Some things only happen at game speed. Whoever the starter is, there will be a learning curve. But we’re confident we’ve got two guys who can compete at a very high level and do a really, really good job.”

Playing to Strengths

When pressed about whether the offense would look different depending on the starter, Denbrock said adjustments will be made, but the overall scheme won’t be overhauled. Notre Dame fans still have nightmares about Charlie Weis trying to install a spread offense in the summer for Demetrius Jones in 2007, only to completely scrap it the following week for his traditional pro-style offense. That seems to be another mistake the Irish won’t make this time around as well.

“Whoever wins the job, we’ll play to the strengths of who they are and not put them in compromising situations too early in the season,” Denbrock explained. “It won’t change a bunch, but there are subtle strengths and weaknesses and differences you have to be aware of when making a plan. Highlight the strengths and diminish as many of the weaknesses as you can.”

Even Reps Until the End

Like Freeman, Denbrock confirmed that both quarterbacks continue to split work evenly until the staff finalizes the decision.

“We’ve been able to give each guy pretty close to the same amount of reps,” Denbrock said. “Until the decision is final and we make it, that’ll continue.”

As they should, Freeman and Denbrock are talking the same language right now regarding the quarterback competition. Both are stressing patience, both are praising the growth of Minchey and Carr, and both insist a decision will come soon — but only once one quarterback truly separates.

For now, Notre Dame fans are left waiting, although my suspicion is we won’t be waiting a whole lot longer. While this is stressing out some Irish fans, both the head coach and offensive coordinator are confident that whoever takes the first snap against Miami will be capable of leading the Irish to a victory.