If Riley Leonard can’t play, where should Notre Dame football turn to at quarterback? Maybe a direction people aren't talking about

The quarterback conversation has been a frustrating one for Notre Dame fans this week. The early buzz around Riley Leonard was ruined during their 16-14 loss to Northern Illinois last weekend , with many Irish supporters now screaming for a quarterback change. With the shoulder injury to Leonard, some may be getting what they wished for.

Leonard has not been ruled out for Saturday, and the people around the program have maintained that he is expected to play. That could merely be for show, but nobody knows for sure. Whether Leonard is healthy or not, Mike Denbrock and the staff need to have another quarterback ready to go just in case.

If we’re being honest with ourselves, Notre Dame would put Steve Angeli in if the need arises. Coach Marcus Freeman has shown that he values experience under center, with his consistent attention to going into his transfer portal as proof. Angeli has some experience as the main backup last year, as well as a start in the Sun Bowl against Oregon State.

That makes this conversation kind of pointless, but my question is: Why not Kenny Minchey? Outside of the Angeli stans out there, CJ Carr is easily the player mentioned most, and I get it. As a hyped freshman, there is going to be a lot of excitement for him, both now and in the future.

Notre Dame fans seem to forget that Minchey is very talented in his own right, and might have the strongest arm of anyone in that room. If you remember back to the Blue-Gold Game, Minchey got off to a tough start but got comfortable quickly. By the end of the game, he was dazzling with his feet and arm talent. You saw all the tools the Tennessee native brings to the table.

For an offense that severely lacks the ability to push the ball down the field, there may not be a quarterback better suited to do so than Minchey. You’d be taking a bit of a gamble but desperate times call for desperate measures. I’m also not sure that Carr would be the best answer for that issue, not because he isn’t capable of it, but because he is just a true freshman.

It feels like there are mostly two camps right now for Notre Dame fans. There’s some that want the stability of Angeli, a more known commodity. He might not be exciting but he does enough to win a football game, and doesn’t make a ton of mistakes. Angeli could be a bit of a stabilizing fixture.

The other camp is Carr, who is the prized young signal caller for the Irish. We have all heard the buzz around Carr, both during the spring and in fall camp. Many believe he is the future of the Notre Dame program. Even though we haven’t seen Carr in a game yet, there is a lot of reason for optimism.

Those two camps have caused a lot to forget about Minchey. It’s a hopeful perspective but I personally would love to see him on Saturday, even if it’s just a changeup from Angeli if Leonard can’t go. We keep hearing about how talented these young quarterbacks are. If you wanna win, let Minchey spin.