Marcus Freeman didn’t have an answer for who Notre Dame’s starting quarterback would be in 2025 when he met with the media Sunday following the conclusion of fall camp but he stated then that they needed to make a decision soon.

Soon came just two days later.

After all the buzz about the battle between CJ Carr and Kenny Minchey on who would be named the starting quarterback and when the announcement would come, Notre Dame cleared it up in one simple social media post.

“Our Starting QB” along with a graphic & photo of Carr announced the news to the world that CJ Carr was Notre Dame’s starting quarterback in 2025.

The redshirt freshman beats out the redshirt sophomore in what was panned by the coaching staff all camp as an extremely tight battle.

Many projected Carr would be the starter since last season ended but once Steve Angeli transferred and the competition came down to Carr and Minchey, it appeared Minchey had closed the gap significantly. Not enough apparently as Carr will be under center when Notre Dame takes on Miami in the season opener August 31st in South Florida.

Carr appeared in just one game last season as the 4th string quarterback behind Riley Leonard, Angeli and Minchey. He also suffered an elbow injury during practice during the season last year that set him back.

“One of my strengths is understanding where to go with the ball and what the defense is doing,” stated Carr at the start of camp. “I think I’ve grown a lot with that since my first year here. Another strength I have is the relationship I have with my teammates.  The quarterbacks and the coaches get all the glory, but it’s really the line and the receivers who are out there making all the plays.”

The grandson of national champion Michigan football coach Lloyd Carr, CJ came to Notre Dame as a top 75 recruit and one of the best QB gets for the Irish in a long time.

In addition to natural arm strength and talent, the 6-3, 210 pound Carr also plays with a fire.

“CJ plays with a lot of emotion, and that can be good, but we don’t want to be emotional,” explained quarterbacks coach Gino Guidugli. “When things are good, he gets really high. When things don’t go good, he can kinda take it hard. Coach Freeman is always saying ‘one play, one life’. You’ve got to have a quick memory at quarterback. Both the guys…you put them on most rosters in the country, they’re going to be the starting quarterback.”

Carr admitted that controlling the emotion used to be a problem for him but that he’s improved greatly on it over time. He will need that to be in check when the Irish open the season at Miami.

Notre Dame offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock said on Sunday no matter who won the job, it wasn’t going to be an easy first game and that there would be a learning curve. Denbrock also said he planned to tailor the offense specifically to whoever won the job and work to their strengths and avoid the weaknesses.

We will preview the season, the Miami game and breakdown the QB decision Monday at 7pm on Pulse FM on the season debut of Notre Dame Federal Credit Union’s Irish Football Fix.