Marcus Freeman, the Irish head coach, might not have reached the final destination and lifted the Natty in 2024. But the man has done enough to prove his worth in the CFB arena. For all measures, Notre Dame’s story didn’t end with the loss against Ohio State, and the Irish are just getting warmed up for another challenge. The head coach has all the right ingredients to do that. He has the experienced Mike Denbrock, who took the Irish to the top 5 offense in the country last year. Then there is Jeremiyah Love, who lit up the scenes with his 1,125 yards and 17 touchdowns. With all the right aspects already sorted, what else is there to add, right?
Well, there may still be a slight hiccup in Freeman’s ultimate natty campaign version 2.0. The uncertainty surrounding the QB room has been around for some time now. Spring practices have started, and players are preparing with their designated spots in mind. But not CJ Carr, Kenny Minchey, and Steve Angeli. For these players, spring practices have come not to hone their skills but to prove their mettle and seal the QB1 spot.
While the hype surrounding the QB battle is buzzing ever more loudly in the media. Hosts of the ‘Irish Breakdown’ podcast discussed the issue in detail, especially the buzz around Steve Angeli’s experience. “If you want to be a pro-Steve (Angeli) guy, that is fine. I have no problem with that. Let’s talk about how he throws the ball, and if he’s good at short-yardage stuff, and if he’s a leader off the field, awesome, let’s have that conversation, yes. But let’s not use the box of more experience because that’s not a thing.”
At first glance, the statement looks loaded, and in many aspects, it may be. But what the host is trying to point out is that Angeli has some stats in CFB to back him up, but it’s not enough. In the three seasons Angeli has been with the Irish, he has notched up close to 750+ passing yards with 10 touchdowns. He also had a start in the Sun Bowl in the 2023 season against Oregon State. A game that the Irish won convincingly by 40-8. But, apart from that game, the hosts pointed out Angeli doesn’t have that much experience.
“You have three guys with no experience, let’s be honest. That’s what you’ve got here; I would venture to guess that both Kenny Minchey and CJ Carr played in bigger games in their high school career than Steve Angeli played in the Sun Bowl that he started. That’s what I mean, so that’s not experience to me, yeah, not so like that’s not even a thing.”
Well, the high school career of both Kenny Minchey and CJ Carr is quite illustrious. Minchey is a former top 175 QB national pick in the 2023 class. Furthermore, in high school, he notched up 5,212 yards at an impressive average of 15 yards per throw, scoring 53 touchdowns. On the other hand, CJ Carr joined as the 6th-ranked QB nationally in 2024 and had notched up a whopping 8,135 yards for 79 touchdowns for his high school, which looks quite impressive too. So, the looming question now is: Who will be Marcus Freeman’s ultimate pick?
Will Marcus Freeman look into the transfer portal for another QB?
Well, selecting a quarterback amongst the three prospects would be quite easy for Marcus Freeman when you compare it to the quarterbacks who deliver on Riley Leonard’s standards. Leonard, who couldn’t quite win the natty, still stood out as one of the best QBs in college football last year. He surely didn’t have a world-class arm. But the guy could run like his life depended on it. The QB provided 906 rushing yards and scored 17 touchdowns, along with his 2,861 passing yards for 21 touchdowns. Can any of the three QBs provide the same dual-threat talent and lead the Fighting Irish?
David Pollack, a CFB insider in his podcast, provided a very blunt take on the three QBs and the whole hype around the QB battle. He was asked if Notre Dame would be better with any of the three touted QBs. Without even thinking for a second, he said, “No, not getting better, absolutely”. The insider expanded, “I don’t think people understood how athletic that freak (Riley Leonard) was. He just took off and ran consistently and consistently made plays. People [were like]…, ‘Oh! That’s crazy. How did he do that?”
Surely the level at which Riley Leonard performed, many would fail to appreciate the skills he demonstrated. A player who gave it all to Notre Dame but just fell short on the D-day against Ohio State. Can the loss take away the player he was and is? No!! Kenny Minchey, CJ Carr, and Steve Angeli do not have the requisite experience to deliver on the same standards. However, with time, the players can improve and ultimately can at least be a decent value addition to the Irish squad. However, all of that ultimately depends on who will be taking the QB1 mantle, and it needs to happen soon and fast.
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