There are worse positions to be in. In the aftermath of the Blue-Gold Game, Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman feels rather confident in his quarterback room. He may favor the other side of the ball as a former linebacker himself, but there are reasons to believe that either Steve Angeli, CJ Carr or Kenny Minchey could be the guy to lead the Fighting Irish out of the tunnel on fall Saturdays.
Of course, it will come down to who has the best grasp of Mike Denbrock's offense. The thought initially was the slightly more seasoned Angeli would win the job. However, he was a slow starter in the spring game before finding his footing. The intrigue of Carr, a former blue-chip prospect, has grown, based on how he started and how he finished, despite a hiccup in the middle. Minchey is more of a runner than a thrower right now.
So what Tyler James of InsideNDSports had to say on the Rivals network is it may behoove Freeman to go all-in on Carr as opposed to going steady with Angeli because of Carr's obvious upside. The quarterback play for Notre Dame will look vastly different no matter who they start. Riley Leonard had a unique skill set. Angeli is a precision passer, whereas Carr could be ushering in a youth movement.
It is a bit of a leap of faith to go all-in on Carr, but Freeman has earned the benefit of the doubt to do it.
Marcus Freeman needs to pick between Steve Angeli and CJ Carr soon
Look, Minchey is not ready to lead the Fighting Irish out of the tunnel. He may in a year or so, but doing so now probably indicates that Notre Dame is not a serious College Football Playoff contender. Going with either Angeli or Carr is the Irish's best way to ensure themselves of a likely playoff bid. The question is what direction is Freeman heading in with his decision.
I hate to say it, but I have this feeling that whoever does not win the job is destined to transfer. Angeli has bided his time backing up Leonard (and Sam Hartman before that). Carr did not pick Notre Dame over his grandfather's school (Lloyd, a legendary head coach at Michigan) to ride pine for the Irish forever. I would argue that both could be starting quarterbacks in the Power Four, or at least have the potential to grow into that role.
Admittedly, I picked Angeli to win the job because steadiness may be the best pathway forward for the Irish long-term. However, I did not anticipate Carr marveling as much as he did during the spring game. Obviously, Freeman will do everything in his power to keep this one as close to the vest for as long as possible. I will say though, if Angeli struggles, people are going to bail on him in favor of Carr.
In a way, I feel Freeman will be given a bit more grace in letting Carr work it out than Angeli struggling.