You may be a little perplexed by the recent occurrences surrounding the quarterback position if you’re a Notre Dame fan.
According to reports, the Fighting Irish made a significant NIL offer to former Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers during the offseason. Ewers’ agent reportedly said that Notre Dame was one of the two colleges that made a major push for him, even though he eventually entered the NFL Draft and was chosen by the Miami Dolphins.
A pursuit like that says a lot. Would Notre Dame have really been spending a lot of money on a quarterback who, let’s face it, didn’t exactly light it up in Austin last season if they were happy with their quarterback room in January?
It may appear from the outside that Notre Dame is now fully committed to C.J. Carr, a freshman. Ultimately, Steve Angeli, who was expected to start in the spring, recently transferred from South Bend. With sophomore Kenny Minchey as the only viable contender remaining, it appears that Carr has the job to lose. The coaching staff’s comments on Carr’s progress have been spot-on, but the timing of their interest in Ewers feels like a warning sign—be cautious.
Consider this: Ewers was recovering off a turbulent season at Texas. At several moments throughout the season, Longhorns supporters publicly called for Arch Manning to take over the position since he had sparks but was also unreliable. Nevertheless, Notre Dame thought highly enough of him to attempt to entice him in with what was said to be a huge NIL deal. You don’t do it unless you’re really unsure of what you’re dealing with on the inside.
So now Notre Dame is trying to publicly portray confidence in its quarterback room, but it feels a bit contrived. And to be honest, they have every motive to want Carr to be the person. He has a strong background, is a gifted recruit, and has the ability to guide the Irish into a new age. However, this has happened before: giving the keys to a rookie quarterback may be risky, particularly if there isn’t a seasoned, established backup to act as insurance.
Furthermore, Kenny Minchey is now less of a proven backup and more of a developing potential.
The irony of it all? Fans would have likely been dubious if Notre Dame had signed Ewers as well, questioning why the administration was bringing in a new player who hadn’t made an impression at his previous school. They aren’t as certain about this quarterback room as they’d like everyone to think, though, which is something much more significant given that they tried that move and failed.
