Would Deuce Knight Be Notre Dame's Starting QB If He Hadn't Left?

With CJ Carr and Kenny Minchey continuing to battle for the starting quarterback job in South Bend, I can't help but wonder about the Knight possibility. Had he remained in Notre Dame's class, woud he be starting?

It's an entirely hypothetical question, but one that's interesting to answer.

Knight is an incredibly gifted athlete both in throwing the ball and in carrying it himself. The 6-4, 217-pound prospect from Lucedale (George County), Mississippi was rated as a four-star prospect by 247Sports, the sixth overall quarterback in the 2025 recruiting cycle.

Knight Would Have Faced an Uphill Climb at Notre Dame

You can't tell me that Knight's athleticism and threat to run wouldn't have thrilled offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock and company. His height mixed with arm strength is unteachable, and something Notre Dame hasn't had a whole lot of in the last decade-plus.

However, I have trouble thinking Knight would start the 2025 opener for Notre Dame at Miami if he were wearing blue and gold instead of blue and orange.

Knight isn't likely to be on the field for any meaningful playing time at Auburn this fall, and the same can probably be said had he stayed with his Notre Dame commitment. Auburn has a pair of transfers ahead of him on the depth chart, and to think what he did in high school would have seated him ahead of Carr or Minchey in South Bend is disrespectful to both of them.

Nick Shepkowski's Quick Takeaway:

When the Knight recruiting saga was unfolding last year, I took a look at the dozen or so years of quarterbacks to rank fifth in the 247Sports composite rankings.

Do names like Jake Heaps, Kiehl Frazier, Travis Wilson, or Shane Morris even register to most college fans?

Knight would have factored into Notre Dame's plans at quarterback in a major way, but it feels rather forced to think he would have come into this season and forced an issue of any kind regarding meaningful playing time.

Knight might go on to be the next great thing in Auburn football. He also might not live up to the lofty expectations and be in the transfer portal before long.

Notre Dame might not have its 2025 starting quarterback figured out quite yet but the stability of the position under Carr, Minchey, Blake Hebert, and Noah Grubbs appears to be strong for the years to come.