Notre Dame‘s Freeman Stands by Carr as Starting Quarterback Despite Competitive battle
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman revealed he ultimately relied on his intuition in selecting CJ Carr as the team’s starting quarterback, a decision made after a highly competitive spring and fall camp that included strong performances from Kenny Minchey and Steve Angeli. Freeman detailed the challenging process of choosing between the three quarterbacks, emphasizing carr’s intelligence, work ethic, and confidence.
Carr,who saw limited action in Notre Dame’s win against Purdue last September,edged out Minchey for the starting role. Angeli, previously Notre Dame’s primary backup for two seasons, transferred to Syracuse where he later won the starting job. freeman acknowledged Minchey’s ability to lead the Irish offense, stating, “He’s good enough to be the starting quarterback at Notre Dame,” but ultimately felt Carr was the best fit for the team’s immediate needs.
“He’s as smart of a football player you’ll be around, works extremely hard in his preparation,” Freeman said of Carr. “He’s a guy that’s very confident — at some points, you may be a little bit overconfident — but you want that in your quarterback.You want the quarterback to say, ‘I want the ball in my hands every play when the game is on the line, and I believe that I’m going to make the right decision.'”
Freeman stressed the importance of Carr’s decision-making, notably in the challenging road habitat of the upcoming game against Miami. He also highlighted the team’s strengths in other areas, such as the running game and defense, to support a young quarterback. ”Every play, it can’t be a bomb,” Freeman explained. “Trust the game plan, trust what you see, be who you are and win this play. I don’t want to put a numerical expectation on him. Be the best version of CJ Carr, make those guys around you better. That’s something that he does really well.”
The coach also praised Minchey’s maturity in handling the disappointment of not being named the starter, noting his ability to return to practice with a positive attitude and focus on betterment.”I didn’t expect him to be happy with my decision, but I did expect, after a day or so, to see the maturity of Kenny Minchey, in terms of being able to go back to work, understand and delay gratification.”
In other team news, Notre Dame defensive end Jordan Botelho, who suffered a torn pectoral during training in June after missing most of the 2023 season with a knee injury, will be available to play against Miami. Botelho was a starter throughout 2023 and the first three games of last fall before his initial injury.
