Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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8 JANUARY 2025 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY TYLER HORKA B y the time Notre Dame signed its 2024 recruit- ing class closer to Christmas a year ago, as was customary for the collegiate calendar back then, the Fighting Irish, for all intents and purposes, already knew who their starting quarterback would be for the following season. It wouldn't be anyone from that 2024 cycle, though Notre Dame got a really good signal-caller in steal- ing away four-star prospect and Michigan legacy CJ Carr from the Wolverines. D u ke t ra n s fe r R i l ey Leonard, who announced his decision to go to Notre Dame on Dec. 12, had the upper hand on Carr, who signed with Notre Dame on Dec. 20. Leonard had the edge on ju- nior Steve Angeli and sophomore Kenny Minchey, too. The Irish went to the por- tal to get a starter and that's what Leon- ard has been — the starter in all 12 of the Irish's games en route to an 11-1 record and College Football Playoff appearance. Notre Dame signed another quarter- back from the 2025 recruiting class, Blake Hebert, on Dec. 4, and his guess is as good as anyone else's who will be the Irish's starter Week 1 at Miami next year. That's because for the first time in three offsea- sons, head coach Marcus Freeman is not seeking a starter from another program. "We have no plans on going to the trans- fer portal for a quarterback," Freeman said. That says everything about where Freeman believes Notre Dame stands with Angeli, Minchey, Carr and now Hebert as the Irish's scholarship quar- terbacks. Current true freshman walk- on Anthony Rezac deserves a mention for his role with the scout team, too. In Freeman's first offseason, he did not go portaling for a QB and he got burned — badly. Starter Tyler Buchner lost to Ohio State and Marshall, com- ing away with an injury in the latter of those losses that cost him 10 games of his sophomore season. Notre Dame then relied on Drew Pyne — a backup who's thrown more interceptions than touchdown passes in the last two sea- sons at Arizona State and Missouri — to somehow go 8-2 in that stretch. Buch- ner transferred to Alabama for a year, only to look lost in his lone start with the Crimson Tide. He completed only 5 of 14 throws for 34 yards in a narrow Alabama win over lowly South Florida. If anyone has the right to be scared to the point of nightmares for trusting in homegrown quarterbacks, it's Freeman. And yet, he's staying away from the por- tal this year. He genuinely believes he has a Notre Dame-caliber starter in any one of Angeli, Minchey, Carr or Hebert. "All possess different talent," Free- man said. "All do things well. All have areas of improvement, like we all do, but I feel really strongly about the quarter- backs room as a whole." Hebert, a four-star who flipped his commitment from Clemson in October, is very much included in that mix. "What I love most about Blake in really the short time in being able to get to know each other is his com- petitive spirit, his lead- ership," Freeman said. "You don't have to be in a room long with him to understand the leader- ship values that I be- lieve quarterbacks must have, and he definitely possesses that leader- ship and competitive spirit that we look for." Notre Dame general manager Chad Bowden agreed with Freeman in that it's Hebert's leadership that stands out the most. He's got a long way to go and people to pass along the way if he's going to play as a freshman, which is not likely considering the depth chart, but he has the intangibles for it. That can never be taken for granted. "He lights up the room," Bowden said. "There's something about that kid that you just see it — you can see it on the field. You can see it with his teammates. They just light up when they're around him. They love it. They love playing for him. That's what really attracted us to Blake." It's the same way with Leonard. Notre Dame did not swing and miss getting him from Duke. He's been a locker room home run with potential for an on-field grand slam if the Irish rattle off four more consecutive victories in the CFP with him at the controls. He will not be at the controls in 2025, no matter what. It will be Angeli, Minchey, Carr or, yes, even Hebert. All guys Bowden recruited. That's an assuring thought. Bowden has been here with Freeman for just a handful of years, and every QB on the 2025 roster will be a homegrown pros- pect that duo personally recruited. "We feel great about the quarterback room," Bowden said. "We feel great about going into next season with what we have. I know that, and really believe in the guys that we have recruited." ✦ UNDER THE DOME STAYING AT HOME For the first time in the last three offseasons, Notre Dame will not actively pursue a transfer portal quarterback Position coach Gino Guidugli and the Irish believe they have their quarterback of the future on the current roster, with junior Steve Angeli (No. 18), sophomore Kenny Minchey (No. 8) and freshman CJ Carr (No. 12) ready to compete for the job after senior Riley Leonard (No. 13) leaves. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER