Help Your Teammates and Expect Nothing: Marcus Freeman Highlights Backup QB Kenny Minchey’s Selflessness While Supporting CJ Carr At Notre Dame

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman during his Monday press conference ahead of the Boston College matchup, revealed a conversation he had with backup quarterback Kenny Minchey that speaks about the culture the Irish program has built under his leadership.

The third-year player from Hendersonville, Tennessee, lost the starting job to redshirt freshman CJ Carr before the season opener.

At 6’2”, 208-pound he entered fall camp with genuine hopes of winning the starting position. After all, he had battled through spring practice and summer workouts, going head-to-head with Carr in what Freeman later described as one of the closest quarterback competitions he had witnessed.

The statistics between the two were nearly identical, the head coach admitted he had to trust his gut when making the final call in mid-August, choosing Carr just over a week before the season opener against Miami, the disappointment which was natural and expected for Minchey.

Kenny Minchey Embodies the Team-First Mentality That Notre Dame Culture Demands Daily

Freeman’s advice to Minchey came during one of their weekly meetings. The conversation, as Freeman shared in Monday’s press conference, would shape how Minchey approached his role for the remainder of the season.

“I remember having a conversation with Kenny in our weekly meeting. I challenged him. I said the greatest gift you can give to yourself is giving something to somebody and expecting nothing in return. And what I meant by that is be the greatest teammate you can to those quarterbacks and to CJ Carr. Help him with things you see and expect nothing in return. That’s going to be the greatest gift you can give yourself. And that’s what he does,” Freeman explained.

Freeman acknowledging that the response did not come as a shock to anyone who knows the quarterback:

“I wish I could say I’m surprised, but that’s who Kenny Minchey is. He’s a selfless individual. He’s a competitor. He works and prepares like he’s the starter. There will be a moment he’s needed. I don’t know when it’s going to happen, but there’ll be a moment that he’s needed to go in and help this offense. He’ll be ready, because he not only prepares himself, but he helps the people in that room prepare. That helps Notre Dame,” the coach said.