The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have put an end to all the speculations about their starting quarterback. Coach Marcus Freeman recently announced that CJ Carr will be the Week 1 starting QB.
Before him, the job belonged to Riley Leonard, who joined the NFL this year and now plays for the Indianapolis Colts. Carr had tough competition from Kenny Minchey for the starting quarterback position, but eventually came out as the best choice.
Notre Dame Football posted an image of Carr with the caption:
“Our starting QB.”
Our starting QB#GoIrish☘️ pic.twitter.com/vFi9pxeMeg
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) August 19, 2025
This was a highly anticipated decision from the program. So, fans flocked to the comments to share thoughts on the choice, and the reactions were mixed.
“All of this to throw 6 picks against Penn State in the playoffs yikes,” a fan wrote.
All of this to throw 6 picks against penn state in the playoffs yikes
— Michael (@ItsSuperSpesh) August 19, 2025
“Buddy is cooked,” A fan wrote.
Buddy is cooked.
— Omar345 (@otmar345) August 19, 2025
“Congrats, CJ! Keep Kenny close. Iron sharpens iron💪🏽 ☘️ ☘️” another commented.
“Very happy with this!!!!” a fan said.
“My mental health is in your hands CJ. Go be great,” a fan wrote.
“Let’s go boys it’s the CJ Carr era ☘️” another posted.
The Fighting Irish will start the season on Aug. 31 against the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium. The decision, in hindsight, was destined to tip in Carr’s favor. He was believed to be the starter over Minchey.
However, Minchey’s performance during the fall camp made people second-guess their predictions. He gave Carr a run for his money and had everyone convinced that it was going to be a tough battle, and the decision might even go his way. But at the end, it was meant for Carr to take the mantle and carry the program forward.
Gino Guidugli shared his thoughts on two quarterbacks
Any coach would be happy to be in a position where they have two strong quarterbacks gunning for the starter position. As good as they are, only one can be a starter, and that’s where the coach’s job gets tricky.
As per the Chicago Tribune, at the beginning of camp, Gino Guidugli, the quarterbacks coach for the Fighting Irish, said that both of them have similar strengths. Their routine, preparation, and game IQ are on par with each other. At the same time, there are some notable differences.
“CJ is probably a little bit more vocal than Kenny is,” Guidugli told the reporters. “Kenny is probably a little more athletic than CJ is. But all in all, we’ve got two really good quarterbacks that are competing their butts off.”
Coach Freeman and offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock also noticed some major positives in both QBs. Now that the decision is settled, Carr will have to prove himself worthy of that position, and open up with a bang against Miami.
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