Notre Dame names CJ Carr starting quarterback ahead of 2025 season

After a quarterback competition that went into training camp, Notre Dame has its quarterback. CJ Carr will be the Fighting Irish’s starting QB this year.

Carr battled against Kenny Minchey during spring ball, and Marcus Freeman said the competition would continue into camp. Ultimately, the redshirt freshman won out and will get the nod under center when Notre Dame takes on Miami in Week 1.

Carr arrived at Notre Dame last season as a touted recruit. The grandson of former Michigan national champion coach Lloyd Carr, he sat behind Riley Leonard and Steve Angeli on the depth chart last season. But Angeli transferred to Syracuse after the spring game, making it a two-man race for Notre Dame’s starting job.

Carr appeared in just one game a season ago after arriving on campus as a four-star prospect. He was the No. 68 overall player and No. 6-ranked quarterback from the 2024 cycle, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking, an equally weighted average that utilizes all three major recruiting services.

CJ Carr and Kenny Minchey have different skillsets, which added to the intrigue around the competition. Minchey is more of a dual-threat quarterback while Carr operates more out of the pocket. Ultimately, Notre Dame’s staff liked what it saw from the latter, naming him QB1.

Ahead of camp, Freeman said he wanted to see how both Carr and Minchey operated within Mike Denbrock’s offense when Notre Dame started practice. When all was said and done, though, he simply hoped they both just play their games.

“You want them to really just be the best version of themselves,” Freeman said during a July appearance on SportsCenter. “Play within the offense and the scheme of what we ask them to do, take care of the football, make good decisions and have answers.

“We want to make sure they’re seeing things, they have answers, they can tell us why. But ultimately, you know what, just go out there and play.”

Notre Dame put together an impressive run to the national championship last season, ending the season with a 14-2 overall record. The Fighting Irish will also have a strong running back on offense this year led by Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price – and Freeman teased the staff could have some interesting wrinkles for opposing defenses, including potentially playing both RBs at the same time.

Notre Dame will start the 2025 season with a marquee matchup against Miami. That game kicks off Aug. 31 at 7:30 p.m. ET.