The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are gearing up for a highly challenging NCAA season, determined to avenge their painful loss in the National Championship Game—a defeat that still lingers in South Bend. But with Riley Leonard no longer on campus or under center, head coach Marcus Freeman hinted at a potential game-changing strategy to reshape the future of Notre Dame football.
The Fighting Irish will kickstart the 2025 college football season with a rivalry matchup against the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium. The Fighting Irish and Hurricanes will meet for the first time since 2017, and they won’t collide with each other until 2031.
It will be a trip down memory lane for fans in both South Bend and Coral Gables as Notre Dame and Miami renew a rivalry that dates back to the 1980s, when animosity between the two programs was at its peak. This year’s Week 1 showdown may not reach the legendary heights of the ‘Catholics vs. Convicts’ clash in October 1988, but the animosity between the fanbases remains—and could very well be reignited.
Like Freeman’s Notre Dame, Mario Cristobal’s Miami is entering the NCAA season with a big change at the quarterback position. Cam Ward is no longer in Coral Gables, instead he is with the Tennessee Titans in the NFL, where he was taken first overall in this year’s Draft. The Hurricanes have brought in Georgia transfer Carson Beck, though, so they are relatively set at the most important position in the gridiron.
Riley Leonard #13 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish speaks during a press conference after the 2025 CFP National Championship game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 20, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. Notre Dame Fighting Irish defeated the Ohio State Buckeyes 34-23.
On the other hand, with Leonard taken in the sixth round of the Draft by the Indianapolis Colts, the Fighting Irish now face considerable uncertainty—and could be heading into uncharted territory with one bold decision, as Freeman recently hinted.
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Two-headed monster
“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,” Freeman admitted, in dialogue with Always College Football.
“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. You’re going to have one starter. You’re going to have one guy that’s going to be your quarterback. But I can see us using both quarterbacks to find a way to help us win.”
Head coach Marcus Freeman of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish reacts during the fourth quarter against the Georgia Bulldogs during the 91st Allstate Sugar Bowl at Caesars Superdome on January 02, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Who are in Notre Dame’s QB room?
While Freeman and his staff in South Bend have no shortage of options to lead the offense on Saturdays, the quarterback battle for the starting job has stretched into the summer, with an official announcement still pending as the college football season approaches.
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According to reports, sophomore CJ Carr and junior Kenny Minchey—both four-star recruits in their respective classes—are leading the race to fill the spot left vacant by Leonard’s departure to the NFL. As of now, the third-year signal caller reportedly holds a slight edge.
