Unusual Behavior From Notre Dame QB is Raising Red Flags originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are weeks away from heading down to south Florida to take on the Miami Hurricanes to open up their college football season, but before they can worry about Miami, they need to find a starting quarterback.
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Fresh off a College Football Playoff National Championship appearance led by Duke transfer Riley Leonard, the Fighting Irish are in the middle of a two-man battle for the right to replace Leonard, who’s now with the Indianapolis Colts.
Marcus Freeman is entering his fourth full year as the coach after taking over the program in 2021, following Brian Kelly’s departure to the LSU job. Unlike the previous two seasons, during which the Irish relied on the portal for their starter, Freeman has chosen to have redshirt sophomore quarterback Kenny Minchey and redshirt freshman CJ Carr compete for the starting position.
While fans and media members alike have tabbed Carr as the heir to the throne from the moment the 2024 season ended, the battle appears to be far from over.
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CJ Carr’s Practice Behavior Turns Heads and Generates Concerns
While Carr is already viewed as the prodigal son in South Bend, a recent video of him from the team’s fall camp practice has fans concerned.
As shown by On3’s Tyler Horka, Carr was caught on camera throwing passes while the rest of the team was in stretching lines.
“Kind of a weird flex, no,” asked one user.
“Is this not weird as hell to anyone,” questioned a second.
“So he doesn’t work with his team?? Did any of them come to his birthday party,” wrote one fan.
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“That’s not leadership. Just sayin,” added another.
Notre Dame’s Starting Quarterback
Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback CJ Carr (13) throws a pass during the Blue-Gold game at Notre Dame Stadium.Michael Caterina-Imagn Images
While Carr’s mannerisms may indicate he has the keys to the program, that has not been the message that Notre Dame’s quarterback coach Gino Guidugli has been sending as the season approaches.
“To me, it’s 50-50,” Guidugli said via Horka. “Whoever has the next two weeks, the best practices, will be our starting quarterback. There isn’t one guy that’s coming in saying, like, right now, he’ has the edge’s got the edge. Right now, he would be the guy. It’s a wide-open competition. The reps are going to be split right down the middle. Whoever puts together the most consistent training camp is going to be the guy Week 1.”
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What Does This Mean for Notre Dame?
With no clear timetable for when the battle will be settled, both Carr and Minchey still have some work to do in order to claim the job.
As for fans, they’ll simply have to sit and wait until an announcement is made, or they’ll have to wait to see who runs out on the field on August 31 in Miami.
Related: Slo-Mo Video of Arch Manning’s Passes Leaves Fans in Disbelief
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 2, 2025, where it first appeared.
