Notre Dame QB competition: Marcus Freeman reveals what he wants to see from CJ Carr, Kenny Minchey

With Riley Leonard now in the NFL and Steve Angeli at Syracuse, Notre Dame is getting ready for a QB competition this fall. CJ Carr and Kenny Minchey will vie for the starting job, and Marcus Freeman shared what he wants to see out of both quarterbacks during the battle.

Minchey and Carr both played in Notre Dame’s spring game, but Freeman said a competition would continue into training camp. They both sat behind Leonard and Angeli last year as the Fighting Irish made a run to the national championship, but after Angeli entered the transfer portal, the competition was down to two.

During camp, Freeman said he wants to see how both Carr and Minchey operate within Mike Denbrock’s offense. When all is said and done, though, he simply hopes they both just play their games.

“You want them to really just be the best version of themselves,” Freeman told ESPN anchor Molly McGrath on Thursday’s SportsCenter. “Play within the offense and the scheme of what we ask them to do, take care of the football, make good decisions and have answers. We want to make sure they’re seeing things, they have answers, they can tell us why.

“But ultimately, you know what, just go out there and play.”

Neither Minchey nor Carr have much game experience since arriving at Notre Dame. In two seasons in South Bend, Minchey has appeared in three games – throwing for 16 yards while adding 12 rushing yards and a touchdown during that time. Carr played in one game last year.

The two have different skillsets, though. Minchey is more of a dual-threat quarterback while Carr operates more out of the pocket. That adds to the intrigue around the competition.

As for when he wants to make a decision on a starter, Marcus Freeman said last month he didn’t want to set a true timeline. Instead, he’s hoping to see how things play out into training camp before making a call. That said, the goal is to have a starter in place by Week 1 against Miami.

“I learned early in my career, don’t put a timetable on it,” Freeman told Golic & Golic. “When we’re confident that the starter is clearly defined, then we’ll name that starter. It could be after the summer. It could be after the first practice, it could be — again, I don’t love the thought of going into the first game without naming a starter, but if we have to wait, we will. I don’t think we will.

“But, you know, I think, how do we put them in situations where they’re competitive situations where they have to execute? And at the end of the day, who’s executed? Who’s putting our offense in a position to have success?”