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A tough decision kicked off the 2025 season Marcus Freeman called it one of the hardest decisions he’s made in his
life. Heading into the fall, few thought that it would be much of a decision at all.

Starting quarterback at Notre Dame: a position that holds so much weight. So much pressure. So much opportunity. In each of the
previous two seasons, Freeman had used the transfer portal to find his signal-caller on a one-year rental. But for 2025, he’d be pulling
from the homegrown pool.

It seemed throughout the spring and summer that redshirt freshman CJ Carr lived comfortably atop that pool, and how could he not? He’s an elite, young passer with an incredible lineage; his grandfather, Lloyd, coached Michigan football to the 1997 national championship.

“He’s as intelligent of a football player as you’ll be around,” Freeman described Carr before the Week One game at Miami. “... He’s a guy that’s very confident — at some points maybe a little bit overconfident. But you want
that in your quarterback.”

“You want the quarterback to say, ‘I want the ball in my hands every play when the game is on the line, and I believe that I’m gonna make the right decision.’”

Yet, even with all of Carr’s undeniable intangibles, news of an intense quarterback competition began to spread throughout early August. Sophomore Kenny Minchey, whose credentials as a former four-star recruit matched those of Carr, was making a push. And while Carr stood alone in the quarterback room via his pure arm talent, Minchey had him beat in dual-threat potential.

About two weeks before the season opener, Freeman reached his long-awaited decision. Peacock’s Here Come the Irish series captured the moment the head coach sat down on a couch adjacent to his new starter and delivered the news.

“You're going to be our starting quarterback,” Freeman told Carr. “I want to follow you, the program’s gonna follow you and you’re gonna do great things, man,” he continued.

Carr leaned down and nodded enthusiastically toward Freeman before straightening back up to hear the rest of his coach’s message. Minchey remained stoic as he received the darker side of the big decision.

“Right now sucks. I understand. I get it,” Freeman told Minchey. “I’ve been in your shoes as a coach and as a player... It will pass.”

Once it did pass, Minchey worked to makethe best of his situation, preparing like a starter every week. And although he was never needed in relief of Carr for a key moment, he looked= impressive whenever he saw the field. Most importantly, he bettered the Irish with his presence, something Freeman touched on in a late-October press conference.

“The greatest gift you can give to yourself is giving something to somebody and expecting nothing in return,”
Freeman stated. 

“What I meant by that is be the greatest teammate you can to those quarterbacks and to CJ Carr... and that’s who Kenny Minchey is.”

While delivering the disappointing news to Minchey in August, Freeman made a point about delayed gratification. That might be on the way for Minchey in 2026, as he’s likely to be Kentucky’s expected starter after flipping from Nebraska to the Wildcats in the transfer portal.