Notre Dame Faces A Potentially Program Altering Period At Quarterback

When discussing aspects of the program that have held Notre Dame back from its quest to win a championship, the quarterback position often sits front and center. Notre Dame is entering a period that could dramatically change the program's fortunes at both quarterback and in their quest for another title.

THE PAST

The last time Notre Dame won a national championship it was led by one of the program's greatest winners, and I'm not even talking about head coach Lou Holtz. Yes, Coach Holtz was a legend, but a key ingredient to his 1988 national title, and the dominance of the 1989 team, was quarterback Tony Rice.

In two full seasons as a starter, Rice led Notre Dame to a 24-1 record. During that stretch the Irish went 10-1 against ranked opponents, and that included an 8-1 record against Top 10 opponents. Rice led the Irish to wins over a pair of No. 1 ranked teams (Miami '88, Colorado '89), a pair of No. 2 ranked teams (USC '88, Michigan '89), and a Fiesta Bowl victory over No. 3 West Virginia, which secured the program's last national title.

Notre Dame has had some outstanding quarterbacks in seasons since, with players like Rick Mirer, Kevin McDougal, Jarious Jackson, Brady Quinn and Jimmy Clausen donning the Blue and Gold. None of them were as truly dominant as Rice from a wins and losses standpoint, and some didn't get to play on the kind of teams that Rice had as well. It was a perfect combination.

Quarterback play has been solid in the last decade, but not good enough to win a championship. Notre Dame has had a couple of teams that were built to be contenders in a lot of positions, but not quarterback. That was true in 2015, 2017 and 2018.

If Notre Dame is going to become a true title contender it must get a lot better at quarterback, especially in the biggest games.

THE PRESENT

Notre Dame brought in former Wake Forest signal caller Sam Hartman to help change the narrative at quarterback.

In 2022, the Fighting Irish often won in spite of its quarterback play. Yes, Drew Pyne had some outstanding moments (UNC, BYU) and Tyler Buchner had moments of brilliance in the bowl game, but for much of the season quarterback play was substandard for a team trying to win a championship.

Hartman was busy setting records the last two seasons while he led Wake Forest to the ACC title game in 2021 and back-to-back bowl victories. He finished his career with more touchdown passes than any quarterback in ACC history and only Phillip Rivers (NC State) threw for more yards. Hartman enters the 2023 season ranked 19th in NCAA history in passing yards and 18th all-time in passing touchdowns.

With Hartman leading the offense, Notre Dame is expected to have a much more productive and dynamic pass attack. His performance in the "big games" has been inconsistent, but he was brilliant in the 51-45 overtime loss to Clemson, a game in which Hartman completed 20 of 29 passes for 337 yards and six touchdowns.

A week later he led Wake Forest to a 31-21 road win over No. 11 Florida State, and Hartman passed for at least 313 yards and three touchdowns in five of the last seven games of the 2022 campaign. Hartman has thrown for at least three touchdowns in 17 games the last two seasons.

Only Bryce Young (Alabama) and CJ Stroud (Ohio State) passed for more than Hartman's 77 touchdowns, and no quarterback in college football accounted for more than his 89 total touchdowns.

If Hartman can bring that kind of production with him to Notre Dame he should have a chance to be the leader of a championship caliber offense. Wake Forest had talented pass catchers around Hartman the last two seasons, but Notre Dame has a much better all-around supporting cast, especially with its offensive line, run game and defense.

THE FUTURE

Hartman has just one season of eligibility remaining, so the future is much cloudier than projections for the 2023 season.

It's a big year for Hartman and Notre Dame, but it's also a big year for sophomore Steve Angeli and freshman Kenny Minchey. Hartman is entrenched as the starter this season, but Angeli and Minchey will go through a season-long battle to not only be the backup, but even more importantly to see who wins the starting job in 2024.

Angeli is a solid prospect that has better intangibles than he has elite passing tools. He has shown good poise in his two spring game appearances, but he has yet to throw a pass in a game. Angeli will need to improve his timing as a passer and enhance his ball placement. If he can show that he has the arm talent to match his guts and demeanor he could impress the Irish coaches enough to consider him as the future quarterback.

Minchey came to Notre Dame with the reputation for being one of the most intelligent quarterbacks in the 2023 class. He was a standout at the Elite 11 last summer and despite missing time with a shoulder injury as a senior, Minchey showed off big time arm talent. Notre Dame got him late, but landing Minchey was important for the Irish staff.

Whether or not Notre Dame goes back to the portal after the 2023 season will have a lot to do with how well Angeli and Minchey develop this season. If the staff believes one, or both, of the young quarterbacks has progressed enough to run the offense at a high level we could see them ignore the portal quarterbacks next year, or at least look more for a veteran depth chart. If they don't show off that kind of ability it could force Notre Dame's coaches to once again look for a starter in the portal.

Notre Dame has a commitment from elite 2024 quarterback CJ Carr, who brings special arm talent, athleticism and intelligence to the position. I am excited to see what Carr can do as a senior, and he'll enroll at Notre Dame in January. A strong senior season needs to be followed by Carr quickly picking up the offense next spring if he's going to have a chance to compete immediately for the starting position. That's asking a lot for any freshman, but Carr is talented enough and has the kind of intangibles that make you have to at least discuss him being a factor in 2024.

What Notre Dame has not done much of in the last thirty years is stack strong quarterbacks on top of each other year after year. Minchey was a very good star and Carr coming in a year later gives the Irish tremendous success with back-to-back classes, but that must continue moving forward. We don't yet know who fill follow Carr, but talented young quarterbacks like Deuce Knight and DJ Lacey are two of the several talented passers the Irish are recruiting.

The future is incredibly bright for the Notre Dame quarterback position, even with the questions about who might replace Hartman in 2024. Perhaps the Irish are forced to dip back into the portal one more time, but if Hartman is as good as advertised, and Carr and Minchey are as good as I think they are, quarterback is about to become a significant strength for Notre Dame for years to come.

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