SOUTH BEND —Now that former Notre Dame football quarterback Riley Leonard is off to the NFL as a sixth-round pick of the Indianapolis Colts, the question of how to replace his running ability remains.
Leonard averaged 4.9 yards per carry in his lone season with the Irish. He often called his own number in short-yardage situations.
Converting 68 first downs by rush, more than four per game, Leonard gained 906 rushing yards in 16 games and had 17 rushing touchdowns. That latter figure eclipsed Brandon Wimbush’s school record for quarterbacks from 2017.
With the 2025 battle for succession down to CJ Carr and Kenny Minchey, Irish coach Marcus Freeman has options. Those include working both quarterbacks into the mix.
“Yeah, I could see us utilizing two quarterbacks in different situations,” Freeman said at the close of spring practice, “but we’re going to have a starter, and then you’ll have a guy that might could help our football team win games.”
With two-sport senior Tyler Buchner “under consideration” for a move back to quarterback, the notion of his run-heavy package in 2021 leaps to mind. Appearing in relief of Wisconsin transfer Jack Coan, Buchner averaged 7.3 yards on 46 carries as a freshman on his way to 336 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
While Carr is hardly immobile, one could see a scenario where Minchey or Buchner is the short-yardage or goal-line weapon off the bench. That would give offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock continued freedom to outnumber a stacked box with the threat of a running quarterback.
“If that means we have a special package for a guy, we will,” Freeman said. “I’m not a huge proponent of having truly two starters. But that decision is going to be made when they help us make that decision.”
At 6-foot-2 and 206 pounds, Minchey has track experience in the 200 meters during his high school career at Pope John Paul II in Hendersonville, Tenn. As a rusher, he averaged just 2.8 yards on 87 carries over a two-year span before battling a throwing shoulder issue that caused him to miss half of his 12-game senior season.
Carr, now up to 6-3 and 209 pounds, is a pure passer who threw for 78 touchdowns and 8,135 yards over his final three seasons at Saline (Mich.) High School. He added 16 scores and 312 yards as a rusher in his final two prep seasons.
With the season opener at Miami now four months away, there’s still plenty of time for the Irish to pick a starting quarterback.
“I don’t ever want to put a timetable on that,” Freeman said. “Let’s hope that it’s before the first game. But I believe there has to be one guy that is the starting quarterback.”
Mike Berardino covers Notre Dame football for the South Bend Tribune and NDInsider.com. Follow him on social media @MikeBerardino.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Notre Dame football has options when it comes to 2025 quarterback plan
SOUTH BEND —Now that former Notre Dame football quarterback Riley Leonard is off to the NFL as a sixth-round pick of the Indianapolis Colts, the question of how to replace his running ability remains.
Leonard averaged 4.9 yards per carry in his lone season with the Irish. He often called his own number in short-yardage situations.
Converting 68 first downs by rush, more than four per game, Leonard gained 906 rushing yards in 16 games and had 17 rushing touchdowns. That latter figure eclipsed Brandon Wimbush’s school record for quarterbacks from 2017.
With the 2025 battle for succession down to CJ Carr and Kenny Minchey, Irish coach Marcus Freeman has options. Those include working both quarterbacks into the mix.
“Yeah, I could see us utilizing two quarterbacks in different situations,” Freeman said at the close of spring practice, “but we’re going to have a starter, and then you’ll have a guy that might could help our football team win games.”
With two-sport senior Tyler Buchner “under consideration” for a move back to quarterback, the notion of his run-heavy package in 2021 leaps to mind. Appearing in relief of Wisconsin transfer Jack Coan, Buchner averaged 7.3 yards on 46 carries as a freshman on his way to 336 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
While Carr is hardly immobile, one could see a scenario where Minchey or Buchner is the short-yardage or goal-line weapon off the bench. That would give offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock continued freedom to outnumber a stacked box with the threat of a running quarterback.
“If that means we have a special package for a guy, we will,” Freeman said. “I’m not a huge proponent of having truly two starters. But that decision is going to be made when they help us make that decision.”
At 6-foot-2 and 206 pounds, Minchey has track experience in the 200 meters during his high school career at Pope John Paul II in Hendersonville, Tenn. As a rusher, he averaged just 2.8 yards on 87 carries over a two-year span before battling a throwing shoulder issue that caused him to miss half of his 12-game senior season.
Carr, now up to 6-3 and 209 pounds, is a pure passer who threw for 78 touchdowns and 8,135 yards over his final three seasons at Saline (Mich.) High School. He added 16 scores and 312 yards as a rusher in his final two prep seasons.
With the season opener at Miami now four months away, there’s still plenty of time for the Irish to pick a starting quarterback.
“I don’t ever want to put a timetable on that,” Freeman said. “Let’s hope that it’s before the first game. But I believe there has to be one guy that is the starting quarterback.”
Mike Berardino covers Notre Dame football for the South Bend Tribune and NDInsider.com. Follow him on social media @MikeBerardino.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Notre Dame football has options when it comes to 2025 quarterback plan
