Marcus Freeman doesn’t regret choosing CJ Carr over Kenny Minchey at quarterback last year. That decision paid off, even with Minchey leaving for Kentucky. Still, if Minchey had started, he likely would have succeeded since it’s obvious Freeman and his staff excel at recognizing talent.
Now that Minchey is with the Wildcats, Kentucky head coach Will Stein is plenty impressed with his new quarterback. In a recent press conference, Stein laid out how well Minchey is playing this spring. At one point, saying the former Irish QB looked like he’s been in Stein’s offense for years.
“Kenny's very poised. Very smart,” Stein said of the former Notre Dame signal-caller. “Extremely accurate, throws a great ball, great deep ball.”
New Kentucky head coach Will Stein is LOVING what he sees from QB1 Kenny Minchey 😼🏈
— Chris Beasmore (@CBeasmoreSports) March 31, 2026
“Very poised, very smart, extremely accurate… throws a great deep ball.”
Stein says Minchey’s picked up the offense fast, has underrated mobility, and is a natural leader who commands the… pic.twitter.com/wzReDvXVaF
Former Notre Dame football QB Kenny Minchey is validating Marcus Freeman’s evaluation skills at Kentucky
“More mobile than maybe I gave him credit for. He's got some good legs on him. I think he's just a natural leader. He's still finding his voice. He's not some rah-rah guy, but when he steps in the huddle, you feel him. He looks people in the eye and calls a play with confidence.”
“You know, good conviction in him. So I've been really excited about Kenny and him just getting better every day.”
The road to Kentucky was a winding one for Minchey. He stuck around Notre Dame for two years, knowing that he’d be a backup or even third stringer. Then he competed with Carr for the starting job last year. By all accounts, the competition was very close, and Freeman was within a hair’s breadth of naming him the starter.
Instead, Carr won the job, had one of the best seasons of any freshman quarterback in the country, and Minchey transferred last winter. He first went to Nebraska, before reversing course just a day later. When he signed with Kentucky, it was his final landing spot. Now, barring catastrophe, he’ll be starting for Stein in both men’s first season in Lexington.
Notre Dame isn’t sorry that CJ Carr is under center for his second straight year. But Kenny Minchey’s 2026 season could be quite impressive, and it will demonstrate just how good Freeman is at pinpointing the kind of talent that makes some of the best players in the country.