Notre Dame HC Marcus Freeman makes something clear about starting QB ahead of 2025 NCAAF season

Several weeks have passed since the Notre Dame Fighting Irish lost their chance to be crowned champions in the NCAAF, and the thirst for redemption remains strong. Marcus Freeman is slowly starting to think about the roster for the upcoming season and is considering multiple options for the starting QB position.

The departure of Riley Leonard, after declaring himself eligible for the upcoming NFL Draft, presents a new puzzle for the Fighting Irish coach to solve. Despite this, Freeman addressed the press and outlined the steps to be taken for this decision.

“I don’t know when it’s going to be,” the HC stated. “I mean, it’ll be when they kind of determine decisions need to be made, you know what I mean. I’ve always said, like, I don’t truly believe that coaches put a timeline. I think the players kind of decide, um, when decisions need to be made.”

Steve Angeli, CJ Carr, and Kenny Minchey all have an equal chance of starting in Week 1. Freeman made sure to confirm that he and his coaching staff are conducting a thorough analysis to make the best decision for the team’s season opener.

Steve Angeli #18 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish looks on against the Louisville Cardinals during the first half at Notre Dame Stadium on September 28, 2024 in South Bend, Indiana.

“Yeah, I mean, I think, as a coaching staff, you just want to get them more but they’ve handled it, handled it perfectly, right. They focus on the reps they get. They do the best job they can. If they’re not in there, they’re getting mental reps. They’re helping each other out and are really focused on being the best version of them and that’s all you can ask,” said Freeman.

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“If you’re worried about anything else then you’re not really helping yourself at all, right. If you’re worried about counting the other person’s reps and, you know, how many completions he has, that’s not helping you be the best version of you. So, they’ve been amazing. They’ve been great. But, just exactly what I thought they would be – mature and guys that take care of business and take advantage of their opportunities that they’re getting.”

Freeman’s meticulous analysis

The decision for Notre Dame’s new starting quarterback is not something that should be left to chance. For this, Marcus Freeman and his staff continue to analyze every detail in each practice to ensure they choose the best option.

“For us, you know, how do we find ways to continuously get them more but understand that we have a team that, that maybe isn’t as deep in those positions right now in the spring? And so, we can’t hurt the greater good of the team,” Freeman said.

“We have to be able to evaluate those guys but we feel like we have done, in the first nine practices, a really good job being able to at least evaluate those guys in a fair way and, again, that’s what we’ll continue to do as we go throughout spring.” He finally concluded: “As soon as there’s a clear starter, we’ll name a clear starter.”