It's CJ Carr time at Notre Dame
How Marcus Freeman's past personnel decisions offer insight into the choice of Carr over Kenny Minchey at QB
Notre Dame made a quarterback decision Tuesday. It garnered plenty of attention. That’s usually the case when you throw the words “Notre Dame” and “quarterback” together, especially when the Irish have not had a real quarterback competition since the first year of the Marcus Freeman era. But the way Freeman has handled lesser-profile position battles in the past could offer some insight into why he ultimately chose CJ Carr to lead his team out of the tunnel on Aug. 31 at Miami.
Just look at last year.
Notre Dame’s Week 1 depth chart for its showdown at Texas A&M featured a true freshman, Anthonie Knapp, at left tackle. Knapp beat out presumed starter Tosh Baker, who was a fifth-year senior at the time. Sam Pendleton, a redshirt freshman at the time, beat out returning starters Pat Coogan and Rocco Spindler at left guard. And redshirt freshman Adon Shuler beat out sixth-year transfer Rod Heard for a starting safety spot.
Considering Knapp returns at left tackle and Shuler returns as a captain, it is safe to say those two decisions worked out. The one decision that didn’t — Pendleton at left guard — was rectified by moving Billy Schrauth there once Schrauth, the original starter at right guard, returned from an ankle injury that cost him four games.
Schrauth, too, is now a captain.