Nd set to begin fall camp: carr, minchey look to set the tone
Notre Dame begins fall camp on Thursday and there are several position battles that add intrigue to an already highly anticipated camp, because of the pending quarterback battle between CJ Carr and Kenny Minchey. Both quarterbacks have garnered confidence from the staff during the spring that they’re ready to assume the responsibility of being the leader of Notre Dame’s evolving offense under 2nd year offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock.
1) Who can be the most consistent performer? That is job number one for the quarterbacks, perform on a consistent level. It's not so much about completion percentage as it is moving the offense. Who can lead the offense to points on a more consistent basis. Who can make the best decisions on the most consistent basis, which gets the ball to the playmakers.
CJ Carr showed the ability to do this at a higher level in the Blue & Gold game with Minchey missing a few easy opportunities.
2) Who can command the offense at the highest level? Commanding the offense refers to leadership and also who can handle the system the best. Who commands the most confidence and trust from the rest of the offense? Who can show the best grasp of the offense, which allows the quarterback to get the unit into good looks and out of bad ones? Leadership comes from setting a good example, but it also comes from earning the trust of your teammates that you can set them up for success.
Both quarterbacks have been in Mike Denbrock’s offense for two years and have a good handle of things. Consistency and decision making will be vitally important during fall camp. The spring saw both have moments of greatness, so the more consistent QB will have an advantage.
3) Who can limit the big mistakes? Turnovers are going to happen for all quarterbacks, and that's especially true for first-time starters. Both Minchey and Carr will turn the ball over in fall camp and the winner of the starting job will turn the ball over during the season. The two keys are keeping them to a level you can live with as an offense and also avoiding the really bad turnovers. The bad turnovers are the ones that come from panic, the ones that kill potential scoring drives, the ones that set up the opposition for easier scores and the ones that crush momentum in the biggest moments of the game. Big mistakes aren't just about turnovers, avoiding big mistakes also means not missing out on the opportunities to make big plays and clutch plays when they happen.
No one expects either quarterback to be perfect, and mistakes will be made. The response to those mistakes will be a bigger focus throughout camp.
There should be a natural order at the quarterback position in any program, and the same holds true with this situation. Kenny Minchey has been around and should be viewed as the lead guy in the race with the snaps shared evenly. Ultimately, this is going to come down to how Mike Denbrock views the offense evolving in the hands of both quarterbacks, and if one can show that they possess the skills to speed up that evolution, then they will separate themselves. This battle will set the tone for everything Mike Denbrock is looking to establish heading into the season.
Malik Zaire
talented 2027 qb teddy jarrard gets nd offer
Offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock and quarterbacks coach Gino Guidugli went through an exhaustive evaluation process with the 2027 quarterbacks and 6-3 190-pound four-star signal caller Teddy Jarrard of Kennesaw (Ga.) North Cobb seems to have stood out as he received an offer from Notre Dame on Friday.
“It feels great,” Jarrard sai. “It’s an honor to be one of the two quarterback offers from Notre Dame. It’s a great school with
great tradition and I couldn’t be more excited.”
Jarrard took his first visit to South Bend with family on June 5 th and spent the day touring the campus and meeting the staff, which included a meeting with coach (Marcus) Freeman for about an hour. There was also an opportunity to impress Gino Guidugli during a workout and throwing session followed by conversations that strengthened their relationship throughout the day.
“I enjoyed my visit,” Houston said. “They told me that they liked me and would continue looking at guys before making offers. From that point, coach Gino started talking more.”
That relationship with coach Gino Guidugli can only be described as a forthcoming one that has budded quickly over the last month or so, and the North Cobb offensive player of the year wasn’t surprised when the Notre Dame staff FaceTimed him on Friday.
“I wasn’t surprised” Jarrard shared. “I knew the offer was coming. Coach Gino and I talked about my chances of getting it a week before, but it didn’t change how special the moment was.
“They called me with the staff on the phone,” Jarrard continued. “They gave me the offer, and I spoke to coach (Mike) Denbrock about everything as well.”
Even after receiving the offer, Jarrard remembers the conversation with head coach Marcus Freeman during his June visit and how it gave him insight into what the culture of Notre Dame was all about. He also has his eyes on the recent recruiting success for the Fighting Irish.
“The culture stands out for me,” Jarrard shared. “You can see what coach (Marcus) Freeman is building and how they’re winning right now. You see what they’re doing in the 2026 class, and you know that they’re moving in the right direction.”
Jarrard will now turn to leading his Warriors’ teammates to a deeper runin the Georgia state playoffs after a hot 11-0 start ended with disappointment. They began practicing early in the summer, but the excitement is at fever pitch with the squad going “full pads” starting next week.
“We’re going to be good,” Jarrard declared. “Health is going to be the key. If we can stay healthy, we’re going to be really good. We’ve been practicing, but we’re getting ready to go full pads.
“I’m working hard to get better,” Jarrard continued. “The strength of my game is making quick decisions and getting the ball out quickly. The most important thing is winning football games. I do want to increase my touch, limit interceptions and increase my completion percentage.” As far as a timetable for a decision is concerned, Jarrard can see two paths to an eventual decision.
“No set timetable,” Jarrard explained. “It depends if I really feel good about a school. If that happens, it will be after the summer. But, if I don’t feel good about a school and I’m not sure, it will be after the season. As a sophomore, Jarrard threw for 2783 yards, 34 touchdowns, 72 completion percentage and a QB rating of 128.2. He currently ranks 217th nationally according to 247 Sports composite and hold offers from schools like Georgia, Michigan, Miami, Ohio State, and Alabama to name a few.
Shaun M. Davis
2027 4-star qb peyton houston lands nd offer
As the annual “Pot Of Gold” offers were dispersed for the 2027
recruiting class, there was an omission that created a bunch of
questions amongst Notre Dame fans. Where were the offers for
quarterbacks? Offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock and quarterbacks
coach Gino Guidugli took a brave new approach in evaluating signal-
callers as they operated from a position of strength with promising
talents like CJ Carr, Kenny Minchey, Blake Herbert and Noah
Grubbs on the roster or committed to the program. They were afforded
the opportunity to methodically search for the young men that best fit
their plans for the evolution of the offense.
Their search led the Fighting Irish to 5-11 200-pound four-star
quarterback Peyton Houston of Shreveport (La.) Evangel Christian
and plans were immediately made for Houston to visit South Bend to
see the campus, meet coaches and observe practice.
“It was a really good visit,” Houston told Irish Breakdown. “They practice
really fast and all of the quarterbacks looked good. I got a chance to talk
to coach Gino (Guidugli) and coach (Mike) Denbrock and they told me
how they would handle the process with offers.
“They liked my film,” Houston continued. “They’re going to come and
watch me throw at my school in May. I’m excited for the opportunity and
to have a school like Notre Dame interested in me.”
The first day of May found coach Gino Guidugli travelling to Evangel
Christian to watch an Eagles’ practice in the Louisiana heat, but he
ended watching the talented passer pivot in more ways than one.
“We were scheduled for spring practice,” Houston said. “But, we had to
cancel it due to a mandatory school event, and I had track regionals. So,
I organized a session after school with my guys that were left.
“The throwing session went great with Coach Gino (Guidugli),” Houston
continued. “We worked on our day one install and did routes on air. The
total count was about 50-60 throws. Unfortunately, Coach Gino couldn’t
stay until the end because he had to fly out. He probably saw 25-30
throws, but he missed some of the deep throws. It seemed like he really
liked what he saw.”
After the throwing session, the three-sport athlete zeroed in on track
season as he waited for feedback from the Fighting Irish, and he didn’t
have to wait long.
“Coach (Marcus) Freeman reached out to my dad afterwards,” Houston
said. “My dad is our (Evangel Christian) quarterbacks coach, and he told
him that Coach Gino was extremely impressed with me.
It seems the Fighting Irish are still impressed and view him as a priority
quarterback recruit, when they extended an offer on Friday.
“It’s a huge blessing to get the Notre Dame offer,” Houston shared.
“Everyone knows how valuable that is and what it means to be a
Fighting Irish quarterback. I’m definitely grateful for the coaches having
trust in me to feel comfortable enough to extend the opportunity.
“I got the offer yesterday,” Houston continued. “Coach Gino asked me to
call him and put it on FaceTime. I spoke with him and coach Denbrock,
and they extended the offer. It was a really cool moment that I won’t
forget.”
As a sophomore, Houston threw for 4480 yards and 38 touchdowns with
70 percent completions. He ran for 690 yards and 7 touchdowns as well.
He currently ranks 85th nationally according to 247 sports composite
and holds offers from programs like Clemson, Ole Miss, LSU,
Michigan, Penn State, Texas, Texas A&M, and SMU to name a few.
blue and gold game sheds light on qb competition
Marcus Freeman has spent the spring overseeing a new defensive coordinator in Chris Ash put his fingerprints on a talented defense along with a quarterback battle between Steve Angeli, CJ Carr and Kenny Minchey. Last Saturday, he got an opportunity to watch the fruit of months of observations and evaluations during the annual Blue and Gold game at Notre Dame stadium.
The Blue team defeated the Gold team 76-31 in a spring game that looked much different than in years past.The Fighting Irish were without several players who were rehabbing from injury or resting from an extended run in the college football playoff.
That encouraged some changes to the format and scoring to the game. Instead of four quarters, the game consisted of three periods with four drives consisting of a minimum of six plays. For each of these drives, the ball was placed at various spots to create different game-like situations.
The biggest storyline during the spring has been the quarterback battle between Steve Angeli, CJ Carr and Kenny Minchey. All three QBs had an equal opportunity to shine, and each led the Irish offense on at least one touchdown-scoring drive. But many Irish fans are saying Carr looked the most impressive during Saturday’s game.
Carr finished 14 of 19 for 170 yards and two touchdowns, including a 27-yard touchdown pass to sophomore wide receiver Xavier Southall and a two-yard score to freshman wide receiver Elijah Burress. However, he did throw the game’s only interception on his second-to-last drive under center.
After a slow start, Angeli seemed to settle in and capped his day with a 16-yard touchdown pass to freshman wide receiver Scrap Richardson. He finished 8 of 11 for 108 yards and the aforementioned touchdown.
Minchey ed a three-play, 45-yard drive where he scored on a four-yard run and celebrated his touchdown by doing a backflip in the end zone. He finished 6 of 14 through the air for 106 yards and ran for 12 yards on six carries.
After the game, Freeman said he saw a lot of good from all three quarterbacks and said they could all lead Notre Dame to wins.
“It’s crazy to think this, but you’ve got three guys that all could lead your program to a victory and be your starting quarterback,” Freeman said. “You would like to go into fall with a two-quarterback battle. It’s really hard truly having a three-quarterback battle.”
On the defensive side of the ball, Luke Talich led the way with nine tackles while Bryce Young and Preston Zinter were credited with sacks. Ben Minich intercepted Carr for the game’s only turnover.
But perhaps the biggest defensive plays of the afternoon came on a goal line stand in the seventh series of the scrimmage, where Talich helped the Gold team make back-to-back stops at the goal line on third and fourth down to prevent a Blue touchdown.
Jadarian Price led the team in rushing with 46 yards on six carries while freshman running back Nolan James Jr. led the team in receiving with 60 yards on three catches. For a full look at the final stats from the 2025 Blue-Gold Game,
The Irish will now wait for fall camp to begin preparation for their season opener versus the Miami Hurricanes on August 31st.