Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM MARCH 2023 59 2023 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE QB Country's Thomas Morris has worked to refine Minchey's quarterback skills for the past couple years. He also raves about the Irish's new signal-caller. "I've been doing this full time for al- most 10 years, and he's the most con- sistent quarterback I've ever trained," Morris said. "Every single day you know exactly what you're going to get; it's high level, elite accuracy. He makes things look easy that shouldn't be easy. He's fluid, super graceful in everything he does and the most accurate guy I've been around at this level. "He's a great, great kid; he has all of the intangibles. Kenny is a great leader and worker and someone who would fit in well with the culture at Notre Dame." Minchey didn't have the most robust offer list, but he is widely considered as a blue-chip quarterback. And his stock as a quarterback may have only risen if it weren't for a shoulder injury he suffered during his senior year that also knocked him out of playing in the All-American Bowl. He played in a few games early in the fall and then had the injury. He returned for playoff action and led his team to a win but didn't play the following week due to shoulder discomfort. Even before enrolling at Notre Dame, Howard noted that Minchey had been throwing "two or three times per week." "There were no tears or anything like that," Howard said. "He didn't want to risk playing in the All-American Bowl. He's fine. "He made a business decision to not play in it." Minchey has exciting arm strength and accuracy, but another key aspect of what he brings is his unique leadership style. "He commands the huddle and locker room," Howard said. "He may not say a lot, but he's going to do a lot. The play- ers in the locker room will rally around him. Kenny doesn't have to be in the forefront to lead. "That's one of the best qualities he has. The guys will know he's a leader from his work ethic. He's always on time, takes notes and does all the small things. The coaching staff and team- mates will appreciate that." Minchey is likely to redshirt during his freshman season, but he simply won't concede because he's a freshman. With that being said, he's also going to soak up as much knowledge as he can. "He's fired up and excited to learn from [veteran Irish quarterback Sam] Hartman," Howard said. "Kenny is not the jealous type. He wants to be a great teammate, and he always wants to compete. At the end of the day, his goal is to be a starter on Day 1. He definitely wants to learn from him, and Hartman will be able to help Kenny because he's experienced a lot." ✦ Minchey was limited to five full games during his senior season at Hendersonville (Tenn.) Pope John Paul II due to a shoulder injury, but he still threw for 1,007 yards with 15 touchdowns and only 3 interceptions. PHOTO COURTESY TOMEKA MINCHEY KENNY MINCHEY QUARTERBACK 6-2 · 207 POPE JOHN PAUL II H.S. HENDERSONVILLE, TENN. RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 183 17 3 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 180 5^ 4 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 208 11 3 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 167 13 2 ^ Ranked as a dual-threat quarterback STATISTICS • Suffered a shoulder injury in early September of his senior season and only played in five full games, completing 65 of 94 passes for 1,007 yards with 15 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. He added 43 rush- ing yards on 11 carries. • Completed 215 of 351 passes for 3,280 yards with 32 touchdowns and 9 interceptions during his junior year, plus had 52 rushing attempts for 137 yards and 3 scores. • Finished his career with 5,212 yards passing, a 63.2 completion percentage and 53 touchdowns. NOTABLE • Was invited to the 2023 All-American Bowl but didn't play in the all-star game due to his shoulder injury. • Earned a spot in the 2022 Elite 11. • Finalist for the 2021 Tennessee Titans Division II, Class 3A Mr. Football Award. • 2022 All-Sumner County first-team offense. • Attended the same high school that produced former Notre Dame wide receiver Golden Tate. RECRUITMENT • Committed to Notre Dame on Nov. 22, 2022. • Enrolled at Notre Dame in January. • Was committed to Pittsburgh prior to his senior season but decided to flip to the Irish late in the process. • Recruited by former offensive coordinator Tommy Rees. • Visited Notre Dame twice, including his official visit on Nov. 18, 2022. 2023 PROJECTION • Minchey is likely to redshirt this fall. THEY SAID IT On3 director of scouting and rankings Charles Power: "We've liked Minchey for a long time at On3 and been high on his ability. The first thing we like is his pure passing skills. He's rock solid and very consistent in every setting you see him in, whether that's Friday nights or at camps. In terms of watching him in games, he plays the position with a natural feel and ability to process and handle defenses re- ally well. "He's a productive, efficient and solid quarterback across the board. He's a pass-first quarterback, but he's a functional mover with how he evades the pass rush and makes plays. Minchey has a compact build; he's not too tall. But he has a strong base where he can generate power, and he'll hold up well physically. He has big hands and can grip the ball easily." National recruiting analyst Tom Lemming: "Minchey shows all the tools to become an out- standing pro-style signal-caller at the next level. Has the arm strength, poise, IQ and leadership ability to dominate in college. "As accurate as they come, he takes instructions well, shows terrific poise in the pocket and will wait until the last second to deliver a nice, catchable ball." Blue & Gold Illustrated football analyst Tim Hyde: "He's accurate; you can say that a thousand times about this young man. He throws darts on the line. I love his thick lower body; it looks like he has real power to develop and grow his arm strength down the road. The ball flies off his wrist. "Minchey is a joy to watch. Notre Dame needed a quarterback, and here they are getting one of the top performers at the Elite 11, which says a lot about his quarterback skills. This is a great get for Coach Marcus Freeman's first recruiting class."