Notre Dame's Quarterback Dynamic Could Get Complicated

Notre Dame football seeing talent at most important position steadily improve

Apr 20, 2024; Notre Dame, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback CJ Carr (12) is pressured by defensive lineman Sean Sevillano Jr. (59) in the second half of the Blue-Gold Game at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports / Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

As Notre Dame enters the 2024 season, a critical one for head coach Marcus Freeman and company, the quarterback situation is fairly stable and predictable. If Riley Leonard remains healthy, he will be the starting signal caller.

That much is clear, but things get complicated pretty quickly after that.

Should Leonard fall to injury, is Steve Angeli the next man up?

If so, how does that set up what's to come in 2025 and beyond?

Let's explore these moving pieces in detail and try to make sense of an intriguing and increasingly appealing Notre Dame quarterback room.

Notre Dame QB2 - Steve Angeli

Steve Angeli has been in the Notre Dame program longer than any other quarterback on the roster. He's a "Notre Dame man" in every classic sense of the phrase and has acquitted himself very well when called upon to close out games and take on the starting role in last year's Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl victory over Oregon State.

This being said, Angeli may objectively have the least amount of raw talent and athletic upside of the entire group, particularly when discussing the players younger than him. This puts the Notre Dame coaching staff in an interesting position.

If Angeli is indeed the backup for 2024, does that make him the presumptive starter in 2025? If so, what message does that give to CJ Carr and Kenny Minchey behind him not to mention the ultra-talented Deuce Knight (hopefully) coming in behind them?

Notre Dame's Backup Contender? - CJ Carr

If there is going to be a quarterback battle at Notre Dame in 2024, it won't be for the starting role, it'll be for the backup spot.

Is this spot essentially guaranteed to Steve Angeli or does CJ Carr have a realistic chance to overtake him in August camp?

With Riley Leonard having missed almost all of spring practice with injury, he's going to need to consume the vast number of competitive snaps there is to go around through August. Practically, will there even be enough competitive snaps and body of work available for Carr to jump Angeli for the backup role?

Why Not Kenny Minchey?

Notre Dame did a fantastic job flipping Kenny Minchey from Pitt much to the dismay of the ever-bothered Pat Narduzzi after losing out on the drama-filled Dante Moore sweepstakes a couple of recruiting cycles ago. But where does he slot into this new Notre Dame quarterback landscape without falling through the cracks?

Minchey is no slouch, but he seems to be bracketed in between the ultra-hyped Michigan legacy Carr and one of the most athletically gifted players regardless of position in the 2025 class Deuce Knight. Can he find a way to stand out and ascend quickly or will he eventually decide to transfer somewhere where he has more of a clear runway to playing time?

Deuce Knight

Make no mistake about it, should Deuce Knight ultimately end up signing with the Irish come December, which feels less certain by the day, he will be the most athletically gifted player Notre Dame will have had at the position maybe ever. The question will be, when will he see the field?

Should Deuce choose Notre Dame and redshirt his freshman year, who will win a Knight vs. Carr vs. Minchey battle the following year? And perhaps equally intriguing, what will happen to the players that lose this race? They will not all stay at Notre Dame.

Who leaves and when?

Related - What's up with Deuce Knight and Notre Dame of late?

Trickle Down Effect

Notre Dame has a quarterback problem emerging.

A terrific one.

One the fan base has been begging to have. Which of the multiple talented players will be the starter for the prime years of the Freeman era? This isn't just an issue down the road, what happens with the backup role this year will start a cascade of trickle-down effects that will set the stage for this battle in the long term.

Notre Dame has done a terrific job rejuvenating the quarterback room that has not been good enough top to bottom for way too long. They are giving themselves multiple spins at the wheel to find "the guy" very soon.

This is the most important position in football and Marcus Freeman and company know that they have to get it right.

Will they play their cards correctly in terms of the depth chart moving forward or choose wrong while the right player transfers? Only time will tell.

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