This story will be updated.
SOUTH BEND — Notre Dame football always knew it would need Kenny Minchey at some point. His 2025 season debut came Saturday late in the third quarter of a blowout against Purdue.
Notre Dame led 56-23 when Minchey entered the game.
Here are three things to know about the third-year quarterback for the Irish:
Bouncing back from disappointment
A 6-foot-2, 208-pound redshirt sophomore from Hendersonville, Tenn., where he starred at the same high school (Pope John Paul II) as former Irish wideout Golden Tate, Minchey had yet to throw an incomplete pass in three career attempts at the college level.
Minchey battled redshirt freshman CJ Carr down to the wire in an August training camp duel, but Carr was publicly named the starter on Aug. 19.
Late flip in the 2023 recruiting cycle
Current quarterbacks coach Gino Guidugli has worked with Minchey since his arrival in the spring of 2023, and that familiarity has helped Minchey advance his overall game considerably.
Minchey was originally committed to Pittsburgh before flipping to Notre Dame in November of 2022.
When Notre Dame needed a scout team quarterback to simulate the scrambling skills of former USC Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams in October 2023, Minchey earned raves from his teammates and then Irish defensive coordinator Al Golden.
Earning trust from teammates and coaches
Although Minchey lost out to Carr before the 2025 season, he was viewed as a worthy option throughout the process.
“They both had great fall camps, they both gave us problems, so it was just more of a coach’s decision,” junior linebacker and team captain Drayk Bowen said in late August. “They both could’ve been named starting quarterback. I don’t know how they did it, I don’t know anything about it, but I trust the coaches in what they did and who they made the starter.”
Mike Berardino covers Notre Dame football for the South Bend Tribune and NDInsider.com. Follow him on social media @MikeBerardino.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Three things to know about Notre Dame football quarterback Kenny Minchey
Reporting by Mike Berardino, South Bend Tribune / South Bend Tribune
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