Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1491978
58 MARCH 2023 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2023 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY MIKE SINGER Kenny Minchey didn't commit to Notre Dame until Nov. 22, 2022, and his pledge mostly came out of the blue. He announced his decommitment from Pittsburgh Nov. 14, but until that point it wasn't known publicly that the Irish were in the mix for the Henderson- ville (Tenn.) Pope John Paul II standout. Minchey signed with Notre Dame in December and enrolled in January. Fighting Irish fans can watch his high- lights from his junior and senior sea- sons, plus his clips of him throwing at the Elite 11 finals last summer. But what is Minchey like as a young man? Riley Howard III is the president and founder of Elite 3, a nonprofit organi- zation that deals in athletic training. Howard, who played defensive back for Tennessee State in the late 2000s, has been working with Minchey since the four-star recruit was in middle school. "I would describe him as an observer," Howard said. "He'll meet people where they're at. He works hard and is an over- achiever. For example, if he has an as- signment in school or has a big game coming up, he's going to overachieve in doing the small things to make sure he does his part. "He doesn't do a lot of talking, but once he gets comfortable around certain people, he opens up. Kenny is straight- forward and is driven toward his goals. "He hates failing. And if he does fail, he's going to replay those plays a million times in his head, watch the film, ana- lyze it and figure out what he needs to do to improve and work on those things immediately, even if it's right after the game." A lot of players in the NIL age of col- lege football look for more attention and a bigger Twitter following, but that's not Minchey. He is wired like a true quarterback and face of a program. "His mom and dad did such a great job raising him," Howard said. "They've made sure he understands hard work. His parents built their company over the years and are hard workers. Kenny works hard and is humble." Howard noted that Kenny's father, Kennith, has more of a "fired up" per- sonality, while his mother, Tomeka, is more laid back. "And Kenny is right there in be- tween," Howard noted. "He will open up, and the media will love him and his personality. He has a big personality; he just doesn't show it all the time." Minchey's family is extremely im- portant to him. He has an older sister, Kayla, a college student, and younger sister, Kasyn, who is in kindergarten. "He's very family oriented," Howard said. "He looks after his little sister a lot. She never misses anything for Kenny. She's a bright spot for him and makes him smile. When he sees her, he lights up — always." MINCHEY THE FOOTBALL PLAYER There's a lot of excitement at Notre Dame about Minchey's potential, and Howard believes that his star pupil will exceed expectations. "I truly believe Notre Dame does not know what it has in Kenny," Howard said. "I've been working with the Elite 11 for years and see all the top guys. He's under the radar because he didn't have some premier offers from the jump, but Notre Dame has their starter for the future." "I think that they believe he's good, but I don't think they'll know how good he really is until they actually work with him and see him." Kenny Minchey Has The Potential To Exceed Expectations At Notre Dame Minchey — seen here with his family, from left to right: mother, Tomeka, sisters Kayla and Kasyn, and father, Kennith — originally committed to Pittsburgh, but he flipped his pledge to the Fighting Irish in November and then enrolled at Notre Dame in January. PHOTO COURTESY TOMEKA MINCHEY