When Marcus Freeman announced the Notre Dame football team was having its first bona fide quarterback competition in years, one talking head after another was quick to anoint the leader and eventual winner. CJ Carr was the odds-on favorite to get the job. There were plenty who believed the idea of a competition was just lip service. And yet, Kenny Minchey is still in the fight. And the longer that fight goes on, the more it feels like things are shifting.
As the fall fight has gone on, the only thing that's been clear is that there hasn't been much in the way of separation. Conventional wisdom says that if there is a position battle this close based on talent level and execution, the veteran will win more often than not.
Kenny Minchey might be taking charge in Notre Dame football's QB race
There's also an argument to be made that while Carr was once considered to be the guy who had the better arm, and was more of the kind of quarterback who could come into his freshman season and take the job, Kenny Minchey is the one whose talent base most closely reflects what Mike Denbrock wants his offense to offer.
Denbrock was brought back to South Bend because of what his LSU offense under Jayden Daniels did to the rest of the SEC. While the Bayou Bengals' gunslinger threw for over 4,000 yards in his final season, he also ran for over 1,000.
Then look at last year and what Riley Leonard did in Denbrock's first year back at the helm of the Notre Dame offense. 2,800 yards passing. 900 yards rushing.
CJ Carr isn't putting up anywhere close to those kinds of rushing numbers. Kenny Minchey might.
At the beginning of the summer, the Notre Dame football quarterback race felt like it was CJ Carr's to lose. However, as he's been unable to grab the job and hold on, it's more likely that Minchey's to lose. He fits what the Irish want at quarterback better than Carr does, and if Carr isn't getting separation with his arm, Kenny Minchey's legs might be the difference.