Kenny Minchey's decision is blow to an already inexperienced Notre Dame QB room

With the College Football Playoff snub and Notre Dame's decision to skip the Pop Tarts Bowl, the Irish season is officially over. That's allowed some players to make decisions about their future sooner than they might have otherwise done. That includes backup quarterback Kenny Minchey.

Minchey spent spring practice last year and fall camp doing battle with CJ Car for the Fighting Irish starting quarterback position. Carr won the job with just a week to go until their season opener, and Minchey has been an erstwhile backup since, seeing limited playing time in blowout victories.

Now, Minchey is preparing to look for a spot where he could start in 2026. The Notre Dame quarterback is expected to enter the transfer portal when it opens on January 2.

Kenny Minchey’s exit accelerates Notre Dame’s transition to a young quarterback room

With two years of eligibility remaining, this feels like the right time for Minchey to go after another opportunity. He is an extremely talented quarterback, and he will excel in a new environment. Unfortunately for Minchey, he was just at the right place at the wrong time with the Irish and had to battle with another very gifted quarterback.

However, Minchey's departure means that the Irish quarterback room in the spring will be made up of sophomore Carr, redshirt freshman Blake Hebert, and recent signee and true freshman Noah Grubbs. There is also the possibility that 2027 commit Teddy Jarrard could reclassify to 2026 and sign early, though it's unlikely he would be with the team until the fall of 2026.

Assuming Notre Dame doesn't go after a veteran quarterback to back up Carr in the portal, that would mean the Irish youth movement will be extreme in the quarterback room.

Of course, Minchey's move was hardly unexpected, but it does mean that Marcus Freeman's squad won't have the same level of experience at quarterback as it has had the last few years.