Entering spring practice, there was no bigger question around the Notre Dame football team than who is going to win the quarterback battle. It’s the first time such a battle existed since 2022 and there are three QBs who each have an argument that could be made as to why they should get it.
The questions are only growing louder as the Irish really start going through drills. The competition is officially on, but the coaches have been mum on who is winning. It’s still early, that’s part of it. They’ve also already said they won’t update who is the frontrunner and who is running behind.
Analyst believes Steve Angeli is leading Notre Dame football’s QB race
The Notre Dame coaches have said they will announce who is the winner and that’s it. That leaves everyone else to guess who is leading the race and analysts JD Pickell thinks he knows what’s up.
According to Pickell, it really shouldn’t be a mystery who will run the Notre Dame football offense in 2025. He believes veteran QB Steve Angeli will get the first chance to win the job and that it mainly comes down to Angeli getting the most snaps when it counts over the last few years.
“ I think he's going to be a guy that does what's asked of him,” Pickell said in a recent video. “I think he knows the system. I think that what we saw from him a season ago in the Penn State game, the way that he showed nerves of absolute steel in that drive, dude, that told me a lot about how he's wired and what you're getting.”
The Penn State game he’s referring to is the playoff game when Riley Leonard had to leave with a possible concussion. Angeli played well enough in the rest of the first half that some even believed he should finish that game. He didn’t, Leonard returned and led the Golden Domers to a come from behind win.
Pickell was also quick to note that while he thinks Angeli is the front runner right now, the fight for the Notre Dame football team’s starting quarterback is far from over, and all three candidates offer attractive traits.