Irish Breakdown

Notre Dame Backup Kenny Minchey Flips Schools, Wide Receiver KK Smith Enters Portal

Notre Dame backup quarterback Kenny Minchey originally committed to Nebraska but flipped his commitment to Kentucky on Monday.
Jared Shlensky|
Notre Dame quarterback Kenny Minchey throws the ball in the second half of a NCAA football game against Syracuse at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025, in South Bend.
Notre Dame quarterback Kenny Minchey throws the ball in the second half of a NCAA football game against Syracuse at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025, in South Bend. | MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Nebraska thought it landed its future starting quarterback in former Notre Dame gunslinger Kenny Minchey, but so much for that.

Minchey committed to Nebraska on Sunday, but less than 24 hours later, Minchey flipped his commitment from Nebraska to Kentucky.

Players frequently change schools, but it doesn't happen often in the transfer portal, which is why Minchey's switch is garnering as much attention as it is.

And to make matters worse for Notre Dame, wide receiver KK Smith entered the portal on Monday after spending the last three years in South Bend.

Kenny Minchey's background

Minchey battled with CJ Carr for the starting quarterback last fall, but ultimately Carr won the job and never looked back. However, Minchey did show flashes of stardom when he saw the field.

In six games, Minchey completed 20 of his 26 pass attempts for 196 yards and rushed for 84 yards and a touchdown on seven carries.

I'm not ready to declare Minchey a future all-conference player, but he certainly has some upside, and is major get for the Wildcats.

How does Minchey's departure affect Notre Dame?

Minchey wasn't going to leapfrog Carr on the roster, but you could make the argument that the Tennessee native was one of the best backup quarterbacks in all of college football. That's not the case anymore; he's gone, and Marcus Freeman and his staff must find Minchey's replacement.

Does Notre Dame look to replace Minchey via the transfer portal? Maybe. Or is Blake Hebert the answer? We'll find out during the spring and fall.

Hopefully, Carr never gets hurt, or transfers, and Notre Dame never has to find out the hard way what they have in its backup. However, ND should still look to address the backup quarterback as vigilantly as any other position.

KK Smith's background

Smith showed flashes of a No. 2 wide receiver, but never put it all together consistently, and enters the portal with two more years of eligibility remaining. After redshirting in 2023, Smith appeared in six games for the Irish two years ago, recording three catches for 38 yards.

Smith played in 10 games this year, finishing with eight catches for 123 yards and two touchdowns. Smith's best game was against North Carolina State, where he caught his first career touchdown, and finished with three catches for 59 yards

How does Smith's departure affect Notre Dame?

More than you may think for someone who never consistently played at Notre Dame. Malachi Fields and Will Pauling are gone, and outside of Jordan Faison, ND doesn't have another proven wideout.

So, now Notre Dame must rely on guys like Micah Gilbert and Jaden Greathouse, or find a couple of guys via the portal. And if worst comes to worst, rely on a couple of its true freshman wideouts.

Either way, the Irish have some question marks at the wide receiver position, and hopefully they get answered early next season.

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Jared Shlensky
JARED SHLENSKY

Jared Shlensky is a contributing writer for On SI and a freelance play-by-play broadcaster. Jared was previously a sports betting writer for Yardbarker, an On-Air YouTube Personality for the Sports Geek and a minor league play-by-play broadcaster

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