Grandson Quarterback of Rival Coach Predicted to Lead Notre Dame in 2025

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Matt De Lima | Last updated Jan 14, 2025 5:12 PM ET

Of the blue-chip college football programs, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish have one of the murkier quarterback rooms for the 2025 season.

After three years with the Duke Blue Devils, quarterback Riley Leonard has given the Irish a distinctive personality on offense. His dual-threat offerings as a passer and rusher have given him a distinctive personality. In 2024, he passed for 2,606 yards, 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions, along with 866 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns on the ground.

However, as part of their projections for every Power 4 starting QB next year, ESPN predicts Leonard's replacement in 2025 will be the relatively unproven redshirt freshman CJ Carr.

The grandson of former Michigan football head coach Lloyd Carr, CJ is a former four-star recruit from the 2024 class. He committed to Notre Dame over offers from Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Missouri, Penn State and several others.

Notre Dame's rivalry with Michigan dates back to 1887. The two programs have met 44 times, with the Wolverines holding the series edge at 25-17-1. The schools haven't played against each other since 2019, a 45-14 win by Michigan in Ann Arbor.

Despite being ESPN's choice to lead Notre Dame next year, they described the quarterback situation "could go a few different ways."

Backup Steve Angeli has been with the program for the last three seasons, having committed to the school as part of the 2022 class. They also highlight Kenny Minchey, recent 2025 signee Blake Hebert, and the possibility that head coach Marcus Freeman is aggressively pursuing an option in the transfer portal.

ESPN goes as far as speculating Notre Dame could make a move to lure former Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers to the college game.

Ultimately, Carr is viewed as Notre Dame's high-ceiling prospect at the position and with competition behind him, the only way to keep the job is to keep the Irish successful on the field.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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