Marcus Freeman reaffirms Notre Dame did not seek a transfer quarterback

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman reaffirmed that the team did not seek a transfer quarterback and relied on the guys they had in the room. It was the same message he sent following Steve Angeli’s departure last week.

CJ Carr and Kenny Minchey will have to continue to battle it out for the starting gig through the summer. Freeman made sure to state he didn’t name a starter because neither clearly showed they were the answer, at least as of right now.

Heck, Freeman is certainly staying in house because Tyler Buchner, who joined the football team as a wide receiver, could go back to quarterback. But right now, the competition continues.

“No. It was never – if one person clearly showed that he was going to be the only answer to making sure we had the most opportunity to have success, we would have named one,” Freeman said of naming a starting quarterback. “Again, we had three guys who were performing really, really well for 14 practices and did a really good job. We’ll continue the competition with two guys as we move forward. 

“It was never put into a situation where I felt we needed to do that because a guy clearly showed he was going to be the guy to give our offense the best chance to have success.”

Freeman had some earlier comments regarding the transfer portal, more so how it relates to roster limits. With the House Settlement and changes coming, 105 players is the max for football.

“As far as the transfer portal, probably it’s not affected by the roster limits,” Freeman said. “Again, we’re not actively looking for additions to our roster. I mean, again, I don’t ever want to say never. There’s something that pops up that we think could help us truly become a better football team, then we got to look at it and address it. That just doesn’t mean talent, though. 

“There could be talent that can add to your program, but if it’s not right for the room, it’s not worth it if it’s not right for the big picture of your football program. But again, we will evaluate if there is a guy that is the right fit for the right room and make decisions here in the next week or so if there’s something that pops up.”

Either way Freeman is going to have, most likely, an inexperienced quarterback under center for the 2025 season. Fresh off a national championship game appearance, expectations are sky high in South Bend.