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QB Kenny Minchey Picks Notre Dame: 3 Things This Changes

What an exciting week to follow Notre Dame Football. As if the looming matchup with rival USC isn’t enough to get one’s blood pumping, the Irish have also landed their Quarterback for 2023 in 4-Star Tennessee prospect Kenny Minchey.

Minchey was a longtime Pittsburgh commit planning to enroll early, but that has all changed and the Irish have won him over, surely much to the dismay Pitt HC Pat Narduzzi. Now that we are dealing with facts and not rumors, let’s take a look at what this commitment changes for Notre Dame.

1
Sigh Of Relief

Oct 22, 2022; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Fans tailgate outside Notre Dame Stadium before the game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the UNLV Rebels. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

Notre Dame’s 2023 recruiting class was ranked 3rd in the nation according to 247 Sports before Minchey’s pledge. If this held, it’d be a higher-rated recruiting class than any of Brian Kelly’s at Notre Dame. An impressive haul indeed. But there was still no QB in the class, a position of dire need and utmost importance.

After going “all in” on 5-star prospect Dante Moore and missing out on him to Nike, excuse me, I meant Oregon, Notre Dame was in a tough spot. Being able to find not just “a guy” at this point in the recruiting cycle but a player with true high-level physical upside is a heck of a recruiting job. Credit to Freeman and Rees for their perseverance. Notre Dame fans will sleep easier knowing the Irish have fulfilled this ultra important need in 2023.

2
High Level QB Competition

CJ Carr

With Notre Dame securing the commitment of four star Kenny Minchey for 2023 and five star CJ Carr for 2024, it seems Notre Dame’s quarterback room will be in a position it was never in under Brian Kelly. One of having multiple potentially elite skill set quarterbacks to work with at the same time.

Competition is healthy. It gets the most out of people. It tests physical and mental barriers, it pushes people to work harder. Minchey and Carr will duel it out, and this will push the entire offense to new heights in the process. Notre Dame is desperate for high level stability in the quarterback room and it seems they are getting closer to finding it.

3
Recruits Recruiting

Apr 23, 2022; Notre Dame, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish offensive coordinator Tommy Rees talks to quarterback Drew Pyne (10) during warmups before the Blue-Gold Game at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

It isn’t a stretch to think that top high school skill players want to play at colleges where they feel confident they will have the ability to shine. Being able to point to film and show top recruits the kind of quarterback talent that will be getting the ball to them is a huge benefit for Notre Dame in this regard.

Both Minchey and Carr provide the kind of upside that should have top skill players very interested in the Irish. This is a stark contrast from the recent dynamic of “come to Notre Dame and we’ll figure it out” regarding if anyone can or who will be throwing passes. Recruiting in all areas on offense just got a bit easier for the Irish due to this new aged peace of mind at what has seemed to be a constant position of question and weakness recently.

For more Irish news & notes follow John on Twitter @alwaysirishINCAlways Irish on Youtube and or your preferred audio podcast provider.

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