Marcus Freeman sheds light on crucial QB competition in post-Riley Leonard Notre Dame

After seeing the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to the national championship game, quarterback Riley Leonard is ready to sail away to the NFL.

With spring practice beginning on Wednesday, the competition for the starting QB position has been officially set in motion. Over the past two years, coach Marcus Freeman has hand-picked his starter from the transfer portal. This season, however, three athletes, Kenny Michey, Steve Angeli and CJ Carr, are seeking the role.

“They're going to split reps and each day could be different but it's important for us to communicate with them beforehand,” Freeman said in a press conference after the first day of spring practice at Notre Dame.

“No matter if they like what group they're going with or not, and it shouldn't matter, but we need to be upfront and honest with them and give them feedback after each practice. We'll name a starter when a starter clearly shows he's the best quarterback."

The coach also said there is no rush to pick a starter at Notre Dame, and he doesn’t want to set a deadline for when the decision will be made.

“Again, I'm excited. I truly love competition. I think it's going to make all three of those guys better,” Freeman said. “It is the first true competition with three guys that I've been a part of, but I know it's going to be a fair competition.

"I'm really excited for and looking forward to seeing how everyone in that room enhances and at some point, somebody will be named the starter."

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Marcus Freeman on leadership at Notre Dame

When discussing leadership among the players at Notre Dame, Freeman mentioned how he wants it to feel real and natural, not forced. During spring practices, he said he will be watching to see who raises the bar in different ways.

"Who's the guys that will be energy providers?” the coach said. “Who will be the guys at times that will challenge other guys? Who will be the older guys that put their arms around a freshman?”

Freeman also said they’ll eventually name team captains, and that the role doesn’t necessarily indicate the best leader.

“I'm excited to evaluate the leadership on the field. I've seen the leadership in the weight room, I've seen the leadership when they've been running, you can see leadership actions.”

He also said he was excited to see how the leadership plays out on the field during spring practice.

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