After months of speculation and a spirited quarterback battle stretching from spring practices through August camp, Notre Dame finally has its quarterback. On Tuesday, the Irish officially named sophomore CJ Carr as its starting quarterback. The decision comes after one of the more competitive QB races in recent Irish memory, with junior Kenny Minchey pushing Carr throughout the process.
A Battle That Began in the Spring
The competition started back in the spring, when both quarterbacks flashed promise during the Blue-Gold Game. Carr showcased accuracy and poise, while Minchey showed his arm talent and ability to make plays off-script. From that point forward, Carr was widely considered the favorite, but the door remained open for Minchey.
By the time fall camp arrived, it was clear the staff wasn’t rushing to a decision and that this was indeed a real competition – not a charade like some quarterback competitions in the past. As Freeman put it at the start of camp, “They will determine who’s the starting quarterback. We want to see guys that are consistent. We want our quarterbacks, all of them, to be consistent, but who can be the most consistent, who can take care of the football, and who can continue to keep our offense moving forward.”
Consistency as the Deciding Factor
That became the theme of August camp. Freeman even admitted on Sunday, “After two practices, both quarterbacks were consistently inconsistent.”
The staff continued to evaluate both players closely through daily reps and multiple scrimmages. Offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock explained why the battle remained so tight: “Just that they’re both good enough to help us win football games and that’s why it’s such a close competition,” he said on Sunday.
Despite the competition dragging on perhaps longer than many expected, it didn’t bother the staff. As Denbrick explained on Sunday, “Both of those young men have tremendous love and respect within the framework of our locker room. So, we’re not as freaked out about the fact that somebody hasn’t been named the starting quarterback as a lot of people seem to be, but it’s because we know both individuals involved. We know how their teammates feel about them, care about them, trust them. And they’ve both played really well.”
A Process of Evaluation
Denbrock noted how the competition helped the staff refine their evaluation: “I think one thing that this competition has allowed us to do and me to do in particular is really drill down through the course of camp. What are the things that they do really well, and what are the things that they need a lot of work on?” he said. “Both of those categories are full of things. And so having the opportunity while the competition’s ongoing for me to gather data and information about what fits with which guy and when is pretty valuable stuff.”
The general consensus is that Carr excelled in pushing the ball downfield and taking chances throughout camp – at times, maybe too many chances, given the reports of camp interceptions, but practice is the time to make those mistakes. Notre Dame needs its passing game to be more vertical if it wants to take the final steps, and Carr’s ability to get the ball vertical is a huge plus.
Freeman also emphasized the importance of patience in the process when he opened camp, “Today was day one. We will grade it every day. We’ll put them in similar challenging situations. They’ll rotate between groups, and at some point, when a starter is ready to be named, we will have to name one,” he said earlier this month.
Unlike past quarterback competitions, Notre Dame fans can rest easy knowing that this was indeed a real process and a real competition. While many expected Carr would ultimately be the winner, he had to earn it all summer long. This wasn’t Sam Hartman winning a competition over Steve Angelli or Jack Coan beating out Drew Pyne. This was a heavyweight fight between two very highly touted and capable quarterbacks.
Don’t expect there to be a rotation
From early in camp, Freeman made clear a two-quarterback system wasn’t on the table.
“The worst thing you can do is have quarterbacks rotating in and out. I think you gotta have a guy that your offense believes is the starting quarterback and you gotta put him in situations and give him confidence.”
If Freeman stays true to that, it’ll be Carr’s offense to drive. How much leeway he’ll have remains to be seen, though. Starting the season in what can be a hostile environment is not the best way to make the first start of your career, and given the reported challenges of interceptions in camp, you have to wonder how tempted Freeman would be to make a change if Carr got off to a really bad start. Think back to the 2017 Miami nightmare.
What’s Next
With Carr officially the starter, attention now turns to preparing him for the opener against Miami in less than two weeks. As Denbrock put it Sunday, “No matter who we name the quarterback, it’s no easy task going down to Miami and playing them in a season opener. Some of those things obviously only happen in situations, and the speed of the game, and those things only happen in game situations,” he admitted. Denbrock also cautioned that there will be bumps on the road. “No matter who the starter is, there will be a learning curve involved in all of this. But, we’re confident that we’ve got two guys who can compete at a very high level and do a really, really good job.”
That confidence in both quarterbacks carried throughout the competition, but with the decision made, Notre Dame’s offense now belongs to Carr.
Unfortunately I think ND’s QB is playing at Syracuse.