Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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10 NOV. 25, 2023 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME Marcus Freeman made up his mind. Notre Dame is once again in the mar- ket for a quarterback. The Fighting Irish head coach told reporters Nov. 13 that once the 2023 season is over in a few weeks, attention will shift to the necessity of bringing in a fourth scholarship quarterback for 2024. Yes, necessity. This isn't a want for Freeman. It's a need. "Who that is, how we get to that fourth scholarship quarterback, is still to be determined," Freeman said. "We'll look at the portal when the portal opens. We'll look at different ways to fill that fourth quarterback scholarship. But we do want to be in a position to have four quarterbacks on scholarship." Whoever ends up in South Bend will join a young, inexperienced group. Junior-to-be Steve Angeli will be the elder statesman. He has not started a game in his Notre Dame career. Neither has Kenny Minchey, who's currently serving as Notre Dame's third-stringer as a true freshman. CJ Carr arrives in the offseason as the Irish's highly rated 2024 signee. If it is the transfer portal that yields the fourth scholarship quarterback Freeman covets, it'll be the third time in the last four years Notre Dame has pulled a QB from there. This time feels different, though, a few weeks before the wheels are actually set in motion. Ahead of the 2021 season, the Irish wanted a proven starter. They got one in former Wisconsin Badger Jack Coan. Last year, it was the same thing. Proven starter needed. They got one in Sam Hartman. On Nov. 13, Freeman didn't say anything about finding someone like Coan or Hartman. He kept harping on the number four, which translates to a yearning for depth. If there is another option like Coan or Hartman, someone Notre Dame knows it can win with right away, the Irish will be all in on him. It'd be fool- ish not to take the best available option who's a good fit. But Freeman also said he has a lot of confidence in Angeli and Minchey. He said it could easily be one of those two who start the 2024 season opener against Texas A&M in College Station, Texas, no matter the player Notre Dame lands on as a reinforcement. The transfer portal is a two-way street. Players must leave one program to join another. Within the last year, Notre Dame lost two quarterbacks to the portal in Drew Pyne and Tyler Buchner. Every position must be bolstered to protect against potential exits. A surefire starter could be in the cards, but with the position Notre Dame finds itself in, somebody is better than nobody. Freeman made that clear. "As I told Steve and Kenny, who have done a really good job in practice, we owe it to this program to try to put four quarterbacks on scholarship," Freeman said. "That's the number we have allotted for." — Tyler Horka IRISH PLAYERS AND AN ASSISTANT COACH ARE UP FOR POSTSEASON AWARDS It's awards season. Several members of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team could take home coveted awards once the 2023 regular season wraps up. The group is headlined by junior left tackle Joe Alt and senior safety Xavier Watts. Alt is a finalist for the Lombardi Award, which is given annually to the most outstanding college football lineman. Of the four finalists, Alt is the only offensive player. That technically makes him the best offensive lineman in America. Watts, meanwhile, is one of five finalists for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, awarded every year to the top defensive player in college football. Offensive line stats are difficult to make tangible, but Pro Football Focus had Alt graded as the No. 2 tackle in the nation through Week 11. He's the best part of a Notre Dame offensive line that made the 12-team cut as a semifinalist for the Joe Moore Award, which recognizes the best offensive line in the country. Watts led the FBS with 7 interceptions through Week 11. Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden was named a finalist for the Broyles Award, pinpointing the best assistant in America. Graduate student quarterback Sam Hartman, graduate student defensive tackle Howard Cross III and graduate student long snapper Michael Vinson are semifinalists for the Davey O'Brien Award (best quar- terback), Chuck Bednarik Award (defensive player of the year) and Patrick Mannelly Award (best long snapper), respectively. The winners of all postseason awards will be named after the regular season. — Tyler Horka Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman has decided the Fighting Irish need to bring in another quarterback for the 2024 season. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER Irish defensive coordinator Al Golden is a finalist for the Broyles Award, which goes to the best assistant coach in college football. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER NOTRE DAME TO LOOK OUTSIDE PROGRAM FOR 2024 QUARTERBACK HELP