The long-anticipated moment has arrived—Notre Dame’s spring camp reaches its crescendo with the annual Blue and Gold game in South Bend.
For much of head coach Marcus Freeman’s squad, the 15 practice sessions have been more about knocking off the offseason cobwebs and rediscovering confidence from last year than dwelling on its bittersweet end. But for the quarterbacks, these sessions have meant far more—15 chances to shape their future.
Each rep has been a step toward defining not just their place on the depth chart, but possibly the trajectory of their careers in South Bend. Now, Steve Angeli, CJ Carr, and Kenny Minchey face a defining test in their quest to lead the Irish.
Freeman and offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock find themselves in a situation many coaches would dread. Bringing in Riley Leonard through the transfer portal was a straightforward decision.
But choosing between three young, largely untested signal-callers—each recruited out of high school and with only one collegiate start among them—is an entirely different challenge. One factor working in their favor, at least in theory, is the difference in tenure.
Angeli, a member of the 2022 class, has the most time invested in the program, followed by Carr and then Minchey. That pecking order has informed much of the fan chatter and speculative rankings as spring unfolded.
Steve Angeli entered spring camp as the frontrunner. He wrapped up last season as the clear-cut QB2, even taking critical snaps in the Orange Bowl.
His brief stint when Leonard was sidelined showed not just talent, but poise under pressure. Still, that rise to the No. 2 role came under unusual circumstances—specifically, CJ Carr’s early-season elbow injury that kept him sidelined for nearly the entire year.
Now that Carr is healthy, the question looms: can he overtake Angeli? Carr came in with more hype as a recruit, and with Denbrock only joining the staff last season, Angeli’s seniority may carry less weight than it once did.
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