Notre Dame coach Gino Guidugli gets real about QB battle after Riley Leonard's departure to the NFL

As Riley Leonard leaves for the NFL, Marcus Freeman and Quarterbacks coach Gino Guidugli will have a tough job of picking a suitable replacement for the 2025 season. For other programs, coaches would be scrambling for talents from the transfer portal or the high school circuit, but at Notre Dame, the QB space is loaded with top talents and the only job Guidugli has in store is to pick the starter in a span of a maximum of 19 weeks.

While speaking to reporters on Friday about the current QB situation, Guidugli mentioned that off-season practice sessions will be a platform for these athletes to showcase their skills.

The QB room is perfectly balanced with veteran star Steve Angeli, sophomore talent Kenny Minchey and freshman CJ Carr. He shared the differences between these three prospects and how unique they are when it comes to leading the offense. [Timestamp - 2:50]

'To me it's about consistency...Steve has [experience] in his back pocket. That's a confidence builder...Those other guys still kinda have to prove that."

The veteran coach claimed that Angeli actually showing up to work and winning a game will give him all the confidence he needs. But Minchey and Carr are not far behind in terms of competition. He added:

"CJ has got total command of the offense. He understands rungame, passgame, protection schemes inside and out...it's gonna be about him going out there and executing it...Kenny is gonna provide you the most athleticism...Kenny is a really accurate passer..."

Guidugli concluded his media session by saying that his QBs can all start in many top programs in the country. So he is looking forward to a healthy competition within the team to decide the starter.

Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame could be aiming for a National Championship in 2025

Last season turned out to be a terrific one for Freeman and Co. where they managed to reach the championship game against the Ohio State Buckeyes. Although they lost the game by a significant margin, the Fighting Irish were able to prove themselves as one of the most dominant forces in college football.

Their only loss in the regular season came against NIU in Week 2 and wrapped up 2024 with a 14-2 record.

Heading into 2025, the expectations are sky-high. While speaking to Adam Breneman last week, Freeman mentioned the team has learned a lot from last year, especially how to deal with failure. And more importantly, how to handle success.

Freeman hinted that nothing less than a title would be on the cards for ND this year.