Notre Dame Football: Rising 'gunslinger' shines in spring practice
Since even before the start of spring practice for Notre Dame Football, the talk around the quarterbacks has been all Riley Leonard almost all the time. On the rare occasions when the QB talk wasn’t centered around the Duke transfer, it moved to mention of Steve Angeli. But one quarterback might be about ready to move out of the shadows.
Kenny Minchey has largely been an afterthought for Notre Dame Football, even with Riley Leonard's repeated injuries. Minchey being ignored could be about to come to an end, considering how well he’s played in spring practice of late.
As the South Bend Tribune’s Mike Berardino wrote earlier this week, one word is circulating more than any others about Minchey: “Gunslinger.”
“Kenny is definitely a gunslinger,” sophomore wideout Jaden Greathouse said after one recent practice. “He can move around in the pocket and throw on the run really well.”
Quarterback coach Gino Guidugli echoed those comments.
“There’s not a window small enough that he doesn’t think he can throw the ball through,” Guidugli said. “Gunslinger. He don’t see a pass he don’t like. You like that, but you have to harness that.”
Guidugli knows a thing or too about being a gunslinger. He threw for more than 11,000 yards and 76 touchdowns for the Cincinnati Bearcats. He’s worked with Minchey for a couple of years now.
Notre Dame Football has a surprise ‘gunslinger’ in its midst
Fighting Irish coaches and players are just starting to notice what Kenny Minchey can do because he spent most of last spring still recovering from a dislocated throwing shoulder that wiped out half of his senior year in high school. He then threw just two passes in the fall, both in mop-up duty against Tennessee State.
“Kenny can pass the football,” Guidugli said. “Kenny makes some throws, some off-balance throws, some touch throws, that every now and then you’re looking to the sideline like, ‘Wow, did y’all see that?’”
With Riley Leonard sitting out the rest of the spring, Kenny Minchey is going to get to show Notre Dame Football what he can do for a few more weeks. Then it’s anybody’s guess.
Will the gunslinger be content battling it out with Steve Angeli for the backup quarterback spot? If he loses that spot out of the spring will he stick around to try and take it back in the fall?
The transfer portal opens in a few weeks. Should Notre Dame football fans be worried about losing a “gunslinger” who has clearly impressed to another team before 2024 gets going?