Nebraska lands a former Notre Dame quarterback seeking immediate starting duty. Can he elevate the Cornhuskers' struggling program and end their ranked win drought?
Former Notre Dame quarterback Kenny Minchey has committed to the Nebraska Cornhuskers. This was first reported by On3. The former consensus four-star quarterback recruit from Hendersonville, Tennessee will have two years of eligibility remaining and was looking for a destination in the portal where he can step in and be the guy on day one. With the departure of former starting quarterback Dylan Raiola, there was an opening in Lincoln, Nebraska that's looking like it will be Minchey's.
After redshirt freshman CJ Carr was named the starting quarterback, it was a question on 'when' not 'if' when talking about Minchey's inevitable entrance into the transfer portal. After the portal opened on January 2nd, it didn't take long for the Tennessee native to find a home. He's headed to a program that has perennially struggled in recent years to gain momentum as a national power. Nebraska hasn't won double digit games since 2012 when they went 10-4 and they haven't beaten a ranked opponent since 2016.
Head coach Matt Rhule has struggled the last two seasons to get them over the seven-win hump. Quarterback play over the last few seasons has been an issue for the Cornhuskers, not the main issue, but an issue nonetheless. In his two years with Nebraska, Raiola threw for 4,819 yards, 31 touchdown passes and 17 interceptions with 11 of his interceptions coming during his true freshman season in 2024. Raiola's performance under center the last two seasons for Nebraska was a significant improvement from the quarterback play they've had in Lincoln in the years leading up to 2024.
Minchey is a high ceiling player, but hasn't played meaningful football yet in his career. He came to campus in 2023 and sat behind Wake Forest transfer Sam Hartman. In 2024, he was third on the depth chart behind Duke transfer Riley Leonard and Steve Angeli. This past offseason, he had the opportunity to compete for the starting role and eventually lost an extremely competitive battle to Carr. Despite his lack of experience, Minchey is a solid pick up for Nebraska; his ceiling is higher than what Raiola's was from a skillset conversation. Now, it will be up to Rhule to continue developing him into a starting quarterback.
The 6-2, 204-pound quarterback is the first addition in the portal for Nebraska but he certainly won't be the last. The Cornhuskers have only lost three offensive players to the portal, two of them being quarterbacks. The other offensive player to hit the portal for Nebraska was running back Jamarion Parker. Offensive line play will have to improve, but I'd be willing to bet Minchey ends their drought in ranked affairs. If Rhule and his staff can surround Minchey with good talent and a supporting cast, the ceiling for the former Notre Dame quarterback in Lincoln is high.
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