Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1533229
22 APRIL 2025 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY BGI STAFF B y Blue & Gold Illustrated's count, 19 expected starters or key contribu- tors will be out or limited for spring practice. It's nothing to be alarmed about. It's just the natu- ra l c o n s e q u e n c e of making the na- tional championship in 2025, when the season is 16 games long and lasts until Jan. 20. Graduate student defen- sive end Jordan Botelho (knee), senior center Ashton Craig (knee), junior tight end Cooper Flanagan (Achilles), junior defensive end Bouba- car Traore (knee) and graduate student safety Jalen Stroman (clavicle) will be out for spring ball. Sophomore offensive lineman Anthonie Knapp (ankle), grad- uate student wide receiver Will Paul- ing (foot) and senior offensive lineman Billy Schrauth (ankle) will be limited. Senior defensive end Joshua Burnham, sophomore defensive end Bryce Young, junior linebacker Drayk Bowen, senior linebacker Jaylen Sneed, sophomore cornerback Leonard Moore, junior cor- nerback Christian Gray, senior offen- sive tackle Aamil Wagner, junior safety Adon Shuler and junior wide receiver Jaden Greathouse are not hurt, but they played a ton in the College Football Playoff and have "individualized plans" for their workloads. Oh, and junior wide receiver Jordan Faison is playing lacrosse. With so many stars on the sideline, the attention will turn to the quarter- back battle. Senior Steve Angeli has by far the most experience. Sophomore CJ Carr is the prodigy. Junior Kenny Minchey has intriguing traits. The com- petition will almost certainly continue into fall camp, but the Irish could exit spring practice with a good idea of who the frontrunner is. Here are BGI's thoughts on the quar- terback situation and several other sto- rylines with spring ball beginning. POST-SPRING QUARTERBACK PECKING ORDER Staff writer Tyler Horka: Angeli hasn't waited this long to get beaten out in the race for the starting job in his first 15 practices as the eldest statesman in the Notre Dame quarterback room. He's going to have the pole position in the THE NEW THE NEW ERA ERA Quarterback competition Quarterback competition headlines abnormal spring headlines abnormal spring practice in South Bend practice in South Bend 2025 S P R I N G F O O T B A L L O V E R V I E W From left to right, senior Steve Angeli, junior Kenny Minchey and sophomore CJ Carr will begin the competition for Notre Dame's starting quar- terback job this spring. PHOTOS BY CHAD WEAVER