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Notre Dame Gearing Up for Quarterback Battle in 2025

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Nathan Dougherty | Last updated Jan 21, 2025 5:34 PM ET

Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard led the Fighting Irish to the doorstep of a national championship this season, fighting to the end against a loaded Ohio State team in Monday's title game but losing 34-23.

The Irish could now head into an offseason filled with questions, including just who will emerge as Leonard's replacement as he leaves South Bend and heads to the NFL draft.

ESPN's Mark Schlabach noted that the Notre Dame coaching staff is preparing for a quarterback battle between Leonard's backup and a much-heralded freshman.

"They'll miss Leonard's leadership, but the coaching staff is excited about freshman CJ Carr, the grandson of former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr, who was rated the No. 2 pocket passer in the 2024 recruiting class by ESPN," Schlabach wrote. "He battled an elbow injury on his throwing arm this past season. Backup Steve Angeli will compete with Carr for the job."

Carr was hit with some adversity this season, suffering an injury to his throwing elbow in September and making a slow return. Head coach Marcus Freeman told reporters in November that the team was taking a conservative approach to his recovery.

“We’ve been overly cautious on his return to play,” Freeman said. “We don’t need to rush it. Let’s make sure he is 110% healed. If he was the starting quarterback this year, you probably would have pushed him a little more aggressively, but we want to be smart in making sure he is 110% healed and rehabbing his elbow to a point where he’s better than probably what he was previously.”

Carr will now have the offseason to prove himself, while Angeli will have the chance to build on his strong performances in limited opportunities this season. He appeared in 11 games, completing 24 of 36 passes for 268 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions.

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

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