Notre Dame football: What Steve Angeli's transfer means for the Irish quarterback room
Notre Dame football: Marcus Freeman & players talk Blue-Gold Game
Marcus Freeman, Eli Raridon and Luke Talich talk the 2025 Blue-Gold Game at Notre Dame Stadium.
Notre Dame football coach Marcus Freeman said he wanted to have the Irish's quarterback battle down to two players by August.
Steve Angeli made it a two-player race himself, as he entered the transfer portal on Thursday. Now, Notre Dame's quarterback battle is down to two players. It also means the Irish have some shoes to fill.
Here's what Angeli's departure means for Notre Dame.
Notre Dame's quarterback battle is down to two: CJ Carr and Kenny Minchey
At Notre Dame's Blue-Gold Game on Saturday, Angeli was the first quarterback to take reps. He led a drive that stalled out near the red zone, before Kenny Minchey and CJ Carr both got their reps.
Angeli didn't make bad plays, turn the ball over and he did throw a touchdown, but he did finish behind both Carr and Minchey in terms of standout plays. It made for a tough process ahead for Freeman.
"You've got three guys that can all lead your program to a victory and be your starting quarterback," Freeman said after the Blue-Gold Game.
With Angeli's departure, the battle is now down to Minchey and Carr.
Carr is the highly touted quarterback prospect who was the prize of the 2024 recruiting class. He showed off an accurate arm with touch passes to tight ends Jack Larsen and Kevin Bauman. Michney showed off his dual-threat capabilities and improved passing skills.
Notre Dame football: Amidst the chaos of college football, the Irish only stress about themselves
So much is happening in the world of college football. Yet, the stress of it all isn't affecting Notre Dame. The Irish impressively struck a balance as spring practices near an end.
But, the Irish lose a dependable player
In the Orange Bowl, Riley Leonard went down for a series. That happened to be the last Irish offensive series of the first half, and Penn State led 10-0.
Notre Dame's backup quarterback completed 6 of his 7 passes for 44 yards and built a drive resulting in a Notre Dame field goal. That picked the offense off the ground and helped lead to a 27-24 win over the Nittany Lions.
Angeli has always been reliable for Notre Dame when he's been called upon. He backed up Leonard last year and Sam Hartman the year prior. When Hartman opted out of the 2023 Sun Bowl, Angeli entered the starting lineup. He led the Irish to a 40-8 win over Oregon State.
In his two seasons at Notre Dame, he's thrown 10 touchdowns against one interception, with a 72.5 completion percentage and 772 passing yards in 21 total games.
Now, Notre Dame has to hope whoever comes in second in the Irish quarterback battle can be as dependable as Angeli has been for Notre Dame.