Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM MAY 2025 45 M arcus Freeman of- ten tells recruits that choosing Notre Dame is not a four-year decision. It's a 40-year choice. The phrase "choose hard" o f te n c o m e s w i t h t h a t . Spending three to five years in online classes is more fun than enduring the rigorous coursework that comes with going to school in South Bend. The latter is certainly not for everyone. But if it's for you, Freeman will tell re- cruits, it will be worth it when he and his coaching staff have developed you for the NFL. It will be worth it when foot- ball inevitably ends, and you need to do something else, provided you're one of the vast majority of college football players who did not make generational money in your playing career. The bottom line of Freeman's pitch is this: Choosing Notre Dame is hard. Other options might lead to more instant gratification. But from a long-term per- spective, it's still the right choice. In the coming weeks and months, Freeman has a choice of his own. And when he does settle on a starting quar- terback, he should take the same long- term approach. In Week 1 at Miami, the Irish should not necessarily start the quarterback who gives them the best chance to win at Miami. They should start the quar- terback who gives them the best chance to make and win games in the College Football Playoff. Some will read that as an endorse- ment of underclassman signal-callers CJ Carr and Kenny Minchey — or at the very least, a condemnation of senior Steve Angeli. Truthfully, it's neither. Carr was the most impressive quarter- back during the Blue-Gold Game, aside from an interception he'd like to have back, and Minchey was the best in the media-viewing scrimmage on April 5. But those were two of 15 spring practices, which is an incredibly small sample size. The media has nowhere near as many data points to evaluate the quarterbacks as the coaching staff. It would be negli- gent for a reporter to pick a top candi- date or an odd man out based on those two days alone. Everything this reporter has heard — on and off the record — says the compe- tition is extremely close. "All three of them have had moments where you're like, 'Oh, my gosh, they're doing great," senior tight end Eli Rari- don said after the Blue-Gold Game. "They're all doing some really good things," Freeman said. "It's crazy to think that you've got three guys that all can lead your program to a victory and be your starting quarterback." This is, however, a case against start- ing Angeli in Week 1 purely because his experience would give the Irish the best chance to win at Miami. If the staff has conviction that one of the others is more likely to lead Notre Dame on a run in December and January, it's worth it. For one thing, the Irish don't need to win at Miami to make the CFP. It would shrink the margin for error, but unlike a year ago, that margin for error would not become zero. Notre Dame's sched- ule should allow a playoff berth at 10-2, particularly if the Southeastern Confer- ence cannibalizes itself like it did in 2024. For another, the Irish will enjoy a Week 2 bye before their home opener against Texas A&M Sept. 13. That will give them time to iron out whatever kinks they show in Coral Gables, Fla. Finally, remember how long it took quarterback Ri- ley Leonard to find chemistry with his new group of wide re- ceivers. Only in-game reps can build that to what Notre Dame needs it to be. This might sound crazy, but those in- game reps with whoever the starter is are more valuable to the Irish than a win at Miami. Sure, it's a risk. And, by the way, Angeli could win the per- manent job outright, and this would all be a moot point. But if he doesn't, not start- ing him against the Hurricanes would still be a risk. That's a hostile environment, one only he has experience playing in. Since when, though, did Freeman's Irish shy away from taking risks? This is the program that started a true freshman at left tackle in Week 1 last year at the war zone known as Kyle Field. The program that called a fake punt inside its own territory in a do-or-die CFP quar- terfinal game. The program that put its offense on the field on fourth down in- side its own red zone in that same game in the Sugar Bowl, and drew the No. 2 team in the country offside. That, Freeman explained afterward, is what defines Notre Dame football. "It's a mentality," Freeman said. "That's the aggressiveness in terms of our preparation that I want our program to have out there when it matters most." It's very possible the best option for Miami and the best option for the sea- son as a whole are the same person. But if they are not, in accordance with that mentality, Notre Dame should start the latter. ✦ Senior Steve Angeli (No. 18) has the experience that would give the Irish the best chance to win at Miami, but that is not reason enough to elevate him over junior Kenny Minchey (No. 8) or sophomore CJ Carr. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER The QB Decision Is About More Than The Miami Game Staff writer Jack Soble has covered Notre Dame athletics for Blue & Gold Illustrated since August 2023. Contact him at Jack.Soble@on3.com. OFF THE DOME JACK SOBLE