Not gonna lie, South Bend’s been feeling a little… different lately, huh? Like everybody’s waiting on something. It isn’t silent, but it sure isn’t loud either. You can just feel it—the calm before a quarterback storm. CJ Carr, Kenny Minchey, and a whole lot of hype brewing inside Notre Dame’s walls. But with Steve Angeli hopping in the portal after failing to lock in on QB1 spot and Riley Leonard catching a one-way flight to the NFL, the picture’s getting crystal clear. CJ Carr’s moment isn’t just coming. It’s banging on the damn door.

The Blue-Gold Game back on April 12? Straight up CJ Carr’s coming-out party. The former 5-star threw for 170 yards and tossed 2 touchdowns like he’s been doing this, and yeah—he had a pick—but who even cares when he’s slinging heat like that? Meanwhile, Kenny Minchey had a “decently good” showing, but Carr’s arm had the whole crowd whispering, ‘Yo, we might have one.’

On April 27th, On3’s J.D. PicKell came out swinging, “CJ Carr has a whip for an arm. You watched that spring game—made some special throws. Couple throws where you say, ‘Okay, that’s… that’s a little bit different than we’ve seen here in the past in South Bend.’ That’s something that maybe we could, let loose a little bit more in 2025, based on Steve Angeli transferring out and what I think is true about that quarterback room right now.”

Notre Dame’s always been that old-school, grind-it-out, run-the-ball type of squad, but with Carr in the mix, you can feel the vibe changing. With Angeli packing for Syracuse and Riley Leonard shaking hands at the NFL Draft, all eyes turned straight to Carr. And listen—there’s no disrespect to Minchey, but CJ’s got that “main character energy.“

He’s already making throws that got old heads nodding and young bucks dreaming. “I’d be shocked if he does not start Game 1 against Miami,” J.D. Pickell said. Facts only. Unless Carr pulls a magic trick and forgets how to throw a football between now and August, he’s running out of that tunnel as QB1.

Adding to the juice? New OC Mike Denbrock’s offense is built for fireworks. Jeremiyah Love and Jaden Greathouse ready to cook. Eli Raridon? That’s a 6’7″ cheat code walking around like he’s just another Irish. If Carr gets even a sliver of time to breathe in the pocket, it’s going up—and it’s getting caught. The 2025 Irish offense might finally be ready to trade those 17-13 slugfests for some good old-fashioned shootouts.

Marcus Freeman’s 5-word message to Riley Leonard

When Riley Leonard’s name popped up at No. 189 overall in the sixth round for the Colts, you could hear a mix of cheers and heavy sighs from Irish Nation. Losing a dawg like Leonard is never easy. The man had just dragged Notre Dame to their first natty appearance since 1988, led three different offenses in three years, dropped 2,861 yards through the air, and bullied defenses for 906 on the ground.

But let’s keep it a buck—Leonard’s NFL dream doesn’t happen without Marcus Freeman believing in him when the rest of the country barely blinked. Freeman’s reaction to Leonard’s big moment? Five words: “Excited to watch you compete!” No big speech. No Hallmark card. Just straight pride, straight belief. That’s what real ones do. They don’t cling—they let their people fly.

Riley balled out in South Bend: 21 TDs, eight picks, a completion percentage pushing 67%, plus leading the team in rushing touchdowns (17)? You’re not replacing that overnight. That’s why Colts GM Chris Ballard took a swing on him—hoping to mold a diamond out of that Duke-to-ND journey. Freeman’s message wasn’t just for Leonard—it’s for all the Irish dawgs coming up next. CJ Carr, you’re on deck. Irish fans? The future’s about to get loud.