Marcus Freeman admits Notre Dame could use two-quarterback system in 2025

A year removed from playing for a national championship, Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman is looking for a new quarterback. However, that’s become a battle that has extended into the summer ahead of the season.

Freeman recently appeared on Always College Football where he discussed the quarterback battle. Surprisingly, he even shared that there is a chance the Irish could turn to a two-quarterback system at times in 2025 to give teams a different look at one another.

“Absolutely,” Marcus Freeman said. “You’re going to look for any way to help your team win. If that means you use two quarterbacks for certain situations, then you’re going to find a way to use two quarterbacks. There might be two quarterbacks on the field at the same time. Who knows? Creativity is so important, and we have some creative football coaches and players here that we’ll come up with the right plan.”

Ultimately, if Notre Dame were to use a two-quarterback system, it would only be situationally. Marcus Freeman also made it clear, the Irish are going to have a set starting quarterback. Any quirks with the quarterbacks would be more of a wrinkle for other teams to prepare for.

“You’re going to have one starter. You’re going to have one guy that’s going to be your quarterback,” Freeman said. “But I can see us using both quarterbacks to find a way to help us win.”

While Notre Dame currently has four quarterbacks listed on the roster, there are two who appear to have the inside track on the starting quarterback job. The first is CJ Carr. A four-star recruit in the Class of 2024, the grandson of Michigan legend Lloyd Carr was the sixth-ranked quarterback in his recruiting cycle. However, he only briefly played against Purdue as a freshman.

Then, Marcus Freeman could turn to Kenny Minchey at quarterback. A four-star recruit from the Class of 2023, he was the 14th-ranked quarterback in his recruiting cycle. He’s also only seen limited action, including only appearing against Purdue in 2024. However, he’s notably considered the better runner between the two quarterbacks.

Regardless of which quarterback Freeman chooses and what type of quarterback system the Irish roll out in 2025, they’re going to be an inexperienced quarterback thrown into the fire. Notre Dame opens the season with a road trip to play the Miami Hurricanes.