Who's QB1 at Notre Dame after Steve Angeli transfer? Everything to know about CJ Carr

The announcement of Steve Angeli's transfer from Notre Dame appears to have ended the Fighting Irish's quarterback competition as they try to replace Riley Leonard following a run to the national championship game.

Angeli was in competition to take over the Notre Dame offense with redshirt freshman CJ Carr and sophomore Kenny Minchey. Now that the senior has departed, many are awarding the competition to Carr.

But who is he and what qualifies him to start under center for one of college football's most historic programs?

A look at CJ Carr's background in a football family

Carr comes from a notable football family as his grandfather is former Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr. He played three seasons as the starting quarterback at Saline High School in Saline, Mich., throwing for 8,135 yards and 78 touchdowns while earning all-state recognition.

The younger Carr had 20 Division I offers, mostly from Big Ten, SEC, and MAC schools, and chose the Irish over schools like his grandfather's former program, Alabama, LSU, Georgia, Michigan State, Penn State, Wisconsin, Missouri, and others.

He committed to Notre Dame in June 2022, a full 18 months before he could sign with the program, and was a four-star high school recruit -- ranked in the top 50 players in the 2024 recruiting class by every recruiting service besides On3, which ranked him No. 209. According to CBS Sports, Carr is the highest-rated quarterback recruit Notre Dame has signed since Brandon Wimbush in 2015.

In his last entry to Carr's recruiting profile, 247Sports recruiting expert Allen Trieu graded him as a future second-round NFL draft pick and compared him to former Alabama quarterback Mac Jones, calling him " a cerebral player" whose processing speed will improve with experience and a classic passer who "can get the ball to any part of the field."

Carr's skills are a change of pace from recent Notre Dame quarterbacks

Recent Fighting Irish quarterbacks have been more of the dual-threat variety, possessing passing ability but also excelling as runners. While Carr isn't immobile -- he scored 16 rushing touchdowns in three years at Saline -- he brings more of an old-school game to the table as a modern quarterback whose primary skill is still his arm.

Plus, at 6-foot-3, 210 lbs, he still has the prototypical size of a powerhouse starting quarterback.

In the Blue and Gold spring game, the sophomore was 14-of-19 passing for 170 yards, 2 touchdowns, and an interception. Those numbers don't jump off the page, but they're incredibly efficient, particularly with what has largely been a run-centric offense during head coach Marcus Freeman's tenure in South Bend.

Nothing's official yet, could we see both?

It's important to note that Carr has not officially been awarded the starting job yet. He is technically still in competition with Minchey, but most experts around the Notre Dame program believe Carr has cemented himself as the frontrunner as the season approaches. It's also a significant quarterback change considering Notre Dame has turned to experienced transfers in 2021, 2023, and 2024.

The last time Notre Dame entered the season with this much inexperience, the Fighting Irish went with a combination of Tyler Buchner and Drew Pyne. Pyne started the majority of the games, and Notre Dame finished with a 9-4 record. Could we see that type of system again this year?

Carr and Minchey have a combined three collegiate passing attempts for 16 yards (all from Minchey), so anything is possible once they start playing actual games. But for now, expect Carr to get the first shot when Notre Dame takes the field to open the season on the road against Miami (FL) at 7:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, Aug. 31.