Greg McElroy is entitled to his opinion on the CJ Carr hype train. The ESPN man didn’t slam the brakes—but he sure didn’t hit the gas either. While praising Carr’s physical tools and upside, McElroy made it clear he’s not ready to crown Notre Dame’s prized freshman as the new face of the Fighting Irish. “I can’t imagine at this point Marcus Freeman is gonna go out and endorse CJ Carr as his starting quarterback. I don’t think that’s likely,” McElroy said. And honestly? He might be right—for now.

Because when Marcus Freeman stepped up to the mic again, he didn’t throw his arms around Carr. He didn’t single out veteran Steve Angeli either. And he didn’t promote talented sophomore Kenny Minchey. Instead, Freeman delivered a measured, diplomatic answer that only deepened the intrigue inside the Golden Dome. “I truly believe we have three quarterbacks that could all start for Notre Dame and help us win in every game we play,” Freeman said on The Hard Count with On3’s J.D. PicKell. “As much as that is an awesome situation, it’s a difficult one too because ultimately as we get ready for Miami, Florida, we can only have one being a starter.”

Tactful, transparent, and unwaveringly loyal to process. And while that might frustrate fans waiting for the five-star savior to take over, it shows that nothing is being handed to Carr. “They’re all doing things really, really well,” Marcus Freeman added. “Everybody has areas of improvement, but I’ve been so pleased with the collective group of those three guys and the way they’ve performed, the way they’ve handled some difficult situations in spring ball, and the way they’ve led the offense and constantly improved.” Carr may have the arm. Angeli may have the experience. Minchey may have the smoothest mechanics of the group. But Freeman isn’t interested in camp narratives—he’s building a winner.

And for those hoping that Notre Dame would swoop into the portal and make a splash, say hello to Nico Iamaleava? Well, put the fantasy to bed. Freeman made it crystal clear: the Irish aren’t in the market for a transactional fix. “Transactional decisions aren’t always the best ones for your future,” Freeman said, seemingly slamming the door on any attempt to lure Tennessee’s rising sophomore, who’s become the face of the NIL conundrum in Knoxville. Culture beats chaos. You don’t tear apart the locker room with a one-year rental unless your house is on fire—and in South Bend, it isn’t.

Still, with the spring window looming and quarterback dominoes bound to fall, the Irish staff has a real challenge on its hands. Not just in picking a starter, but in managing the fallout once the depth chart sorts itself out. That’s the downside of a three-man race. At some point, someone’s going to get left out of the circle of trust.

Freeman and OC Mike Denbrock want a guy who can process at the line, not just throw missiles. Pocket composure, pre-snap reads, and red zone efficiency will matter just as much as arm strength or recruiting stars.

Three musketeers, one crown: Marcus Freeman talks Notre Dame’s QB1 criteria

So, how exactly does Marcus Freeman plan to choose the guy from Notre Dame’s three-headed QB battle? JD asked the question we’ve all been thinking—what’s it going to take to pick QB1? Freeman, as always, kept it real.

“You know, I think we got to look at many different things in the criteria of what we want out of our starting quarterback,” he said. “But number one, you got to take care of the football. You got to make good decisions and take care of the football.” Ball security? Non-negotiable. But he didn’t stop there…

“When all else fails, we want the guy that’s going to help us make plays— and that’s with your legs, with your arm, with your decision-making. And a guy that can lead this offense, that the guys want to play for, and guys want to follow.”

It’s not just about stat sheets and flashy throws. Freeman added, “Sometimes the outcome isn’t a reflection of the reality of what went wrong or what went right with the play.” Translation: The tape doesn’t lie—but it doesn’t always tell the whole story either. Ask Freeman; Notre Dame’s QB1 won’t just earn it with talent but trust.