A Group of the Unknown: A Look Into the Entire Notre Dame QB Room
- Aug 3
- 5 min read
The Notre Dame quarterback room has been the talk of the offseason, with a starter yet to be announced. With no transfer coming in, this room will finally feature exclusively homegrown talent.
Photo by The Irish Tribune
For the past two seasons, Marcus Freeman's teams have been led by one-and-done transfer quarterbacks. In his second year, that QB was Sam Hartman. Hartman came in with high expectations after having a prolific career at Wake Forest. His time at Notre Dame got off to a good start, but unfortunately for Hartman and the Irish, his success began to wane in the second half of the season. As a whole, Hartman's time at Notre Dame can be looked at positively, but games like Louisville will always leave a bad taste in Notre Dame fans' mouths. Last season, Freeman's second transfer QB stepped into the starting role at Notre Dame. Leonard, also coming from the ACC, had a strong track record in the ACC. This gave many faith that he would be able to properly lead a Notre Dame team to where they wanted to go. That belief expanded after Notre Dame's big win in week one against Texas A&M, but that immediately went away after their embarrassing loss against NIU. After that point, Leonard excelled in his role, leading the Irish to the National Championship game. Although Leonard had limitations as a QB, Notre Dame fans adore Leonard's toughness, heart, and love for Notre Dame. The era of transfer QBs at Notre Dame will end this year, a sign that Freeman and his staff have finally recruited well enough and believe they have their QB of the future in-house.
Starting with CJ Carr, he is who many consider to be the eventual starter at Notre Dame. Carr has been a big name at Notre Dame for a while now, even though he has never seen the field. In high school, Carr was a highly rated four-star prospect who was set on his intentions to come to Notre Dame early in the process. Many saw him as the future of the position, and there is good reason for that. Carr has all the arm talent to be a great QB. In the spring game, Carr was throwing the best-looking balls all game. Whether that was throwing the ball across the middle or dropping a ball right over a defender, Carr is a very accurate passer. With that accuracy, Carr also possesses enough arm strength to make every play on the field. Outside of his physical gifts, Carr has also been credited with a very mature and cerebral approach to the position. Contrary to some of Notre Dame's former QBs, Carr does not fit the dual-threat mold that has been prevalent at Notre Dame for years. Although Carr is athletic, he appears to be most comfortable when he can drop back in the pocket, set his feet, and find a receiver. As only a redshirt freshman, he offers Notre Dame a bright future at the position. While that is true, the same could be said for Kenny Minchey.
Minchey's path to Notre Dame couldn't have been much different from Carr's. While Carr made it clear early in his recruitment that Notre Dame was his choice, Minchey found Notre Dame at the very end of his recruitment. Minchey initially committed to Pitt, but de-committed in November of 2022 and committed to Notre Dame shortly after. At the time, this was a huge commitment for the Irish. As a four-star prospect, Minchey was the first building block to a QB room that now shows a ton of promise. Now, as a redshirt sophomore, he is in a position to show that promise. One thing that is immediately apparent about Minchey is his athleticism. In his two spring games, he has shown the ability to be a productive playmaker with his legs, whether that is running for touchdowns or rolling out to find a receiver downfield. As more proof of his athleticism, he even pulled off an impressive backflip celebration in this year's spring game. As a runner, he isn't going to wow anyone with his speed or elusiveness, but he is quick and, with a solid frame, may be hard to bring down. He truly does fit the term dual-threat. As a thrower, he can be explosive while also being accurate. Last season, Notre Dame QB coach Gino Guidugli deemed him a "gunslinger" for his willingness and ability to take chances downfield. Many people in the national media have been overlooking Minchey as the potential starter, but there is a lot to like in his game.
Carr and Minchey have been getting all the attention when it comes to the QB room due to their current battle. That battle illustrates the healthy amount of talent and competition that should belong in any QB room. It is a sign that things are beginning to change at Notre Dame, but they, of course, are not the only ones in the group.
Anthony Rezac is coming back for his sophomore year at Notre Dame. Rezac was a three-star prospect from the state of Nebraska and offers Notre Dame an athletic depth option. Rezac's biggest weapon as a quarterback is his smooth athleticism, which allows him to make some difficult plays look easy. With that talent, he plays an important role for the Irish, providing depth and serving as a scout team quarterback to better prepare the defense.
As the lone freshman in the group, Blake Hebert will almost surely redshirt this year and take the time to develop. Hebert committed to Notre Dame late in the recruiting cycle after flipping from Clemson. Hebert has prototypical QB size, standing at 6'3" and 225 lbs. That size, combined with impressive throw power, makes him an interesting piece for the future of this room.
Lastly, and a fan favorite, is Tyler Buchner. Buchner has had one of the more unique college journeys in the sport. After his time playing at Notre Dame, he transferred to Alabama with a chance to start. Buchner was beaten out by Jalen Milroe, which caused him to come back to Notre Dame, but not for football. Instead, Buchner was on scholarship for Lacrosse, where he won a national championship. On the football side, he accepted a role as a walk-on wide receiver, special-teams player, and scout team QB. Simply put, he did whatever the team needed. Now, his role has changed to mentor. With a room full of young, inexperienced QBs, Buchner's wisdom and experience are vital for the development of the room.
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