Marcus Freeman isn’t leaving South Bend, and he sure isn’t leaving Notre Dame without a battle at the most important position on the field. But Riley Leonard is. His departure after one season turns the 2025 QB1 spot up for grabs, and if there’s one guy who’s been waiting for this moment, it’s Steve Angeli. The 6’2” soon-to-be senior has been the Irish’s top backup for two seasons, biding his time. He’s making the most of his opportunities, and positioning himself as the safest bet to take over. But safe doesn’t always mean certain. And now, as Freeman and quarterbacks coach Gino Guidugli sift through their options, a former NY Jets quarterback turned analyst weighed with his pocket knowledge on the matter.

The battle of South Bends’ QB1 will be fought amongst the Irish trio of Steve Angeli, CJ Carr, and Kenny Minchey, with Angeli deemed the safest option. As Greg McElroy, the leading voice at ESPN, sees this competition narrowing down fast, he made his stance clear on Always College Football, eliminating one of the three contenders right off the bat. “I’m curious about who is going to be the starting quarterback; everyone’s weighing in on this discussion, and rightfully so,” McElroy said. “I’m not at this point super confident that it’s going to be Kenny, so we can remove him from the conversation at least at this moment.” That means this is shaping up to be a two-man race between Steve Angeli and CJ Carr, the highly touted 5-star recruit with football royalty in his blood.

CJ Carr, the grandson of legendary Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr, came to Notre Dame as one of the program’s highest-rated quarterback prospects in years, carrying the kind of buzz that has fans eager to see if he can bring star power to the position. But McElroy isn’t so sure that Carr’s pedigree is enough to push him past Angeli. “Steve Angeli, remember against Penn State, came off the bench, led Notre Dame on a critical drive at the end of the half against Penn State to kind of salvage some momentum heading into halftime,” he explained. “They steal some points, and now all of a sudden, Steve Angeli, Notre Dame fans feel pretty fired up about him. Prior to that drive, I think most people would have said, yeah, it’ll be CJ Carr.”

That drive — a six-for-seven passing display, when Leonard came off injured that turned a 10-0 deficit into a manageable halftime score against Penn State in the 2024 Orange Bowl — was the kind of moment that can shape a quarterback’s trajectory. That moment cemented Steve Angeli as more than just a placeholder, but McElroy sees more than just a flash-in-the-pan performance. “We saw him start the bowl game a couple years back, and he looked pretty good in that game as well,” he said. “Steve Angeli is a natural thrower, naturally accurate — not quite as mobile as you’re going to get from Riley Leonard, but the passing attack should be better this year regardless of which direction they head at the quarterback spot.”

That’s a critical point because while Leonard’s mobility gave Notre Dame an extra dimension, his passing never fully clicked in the Irish offense. If Marcus Freeman is looking for someone who can distribute the ball cleanly and efficiently, Angeli may be his best bet. But there’s a flip side. Angeli may be the safer choice, but safety doesn’t always win games.

In extended action against Oregon State and Purdue, he struggled with getting the ball out quickly, putting Notre Dame behind the sticks and exposing his biggest weakness — pocket awareness. Even in that heroic drive against Penn State, he was sacked twice, fumbling once. That’s the kind of thing that can shift momentum in the wrong direction.

The freshman’s arm talent and natural playmaking ability make him the higher-upside gamble, and in a post-Riley Leonard world, Marcus Freeman may not be looking for ‘safe’. He may be looking for ‘special’.

Marcus Freeman’s QB1 Battle: Angeli Now, Carr Later?

The fight for QB1 in South Bend is heating up, and everyone has an opinion on how it’ll shake out. On Monday, 247Sports’ Brad Crawford threw his hat in the ring, and his take might surprise some Notre Dame fans.

While Crawford acknowledges that CJ Carr is “the future of the franchise,” he doesn’t see the highly-touted sophomore getting the nod right away. Instead, he believes Steve Angeli will be the guy when the Irish take on Miami in their opener on August 31. But that doesn’t mean Carr is out of the picture. “At some point, he’s (Carr) going to be Notre Dame’s QB1, but it might not be in the opener,” Crawford explained. He sees Carr as having “the highest ceiling,” but with the elbow injury he dealt with last fall, he might need a little more time.

One thing working in Angeli’s favor? Marcus Freeman values experience. And while Angeli has some, Carr is still getting his feet wet. ESPN’s Paul Finebaum has been impressed by Freeman’s approach, calling him “that dynamic coach that, quite frankly, I didn’t see coming. I mean, he’s charismatic to me, but I didn’t know how translatable that would be, but it is.” Probably Angeli’s time is now.