Denbrock praises QB growth, highlighting Carr's progression and the intense battle for the backup role. Freshmen show flashes amidst competition.
Spring training is officially over for Notre Dame and there's a lot to take away and a lot of film to digest. The Irish are in a spot they haven't been in since 2020 where they have a retuning quarterback. Rising redshirt sophomore CJ Carr returns as the starter in South Bend and is considered one of the top returners in the country. The question for Carr is how good he can be, but that's not the only question in the quarterback room.
Notre Dame also has an on-going battle for the No. 2 quarterback spot this offseason between rising redshirt freshman Blake Hebert, true freshman Noah Grubbs and true freshman Teddy Jarrard who is not yet on campus. Third year offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock has a lot to evaluate over the coming weeks between Carr's, Hebert's and Grubbs' performance this spring, but he's been pleased overall with the growth of the Notre Dame quarterback room amidst a competition for the backup role.
"I think it's definitely a competition for the No. 2 spot that's going to go into the fall as we sort through it," Denbrock explained. "But I think Blake's made tremendous progress from where he was a year ago. I see a lot of signs of someone who understands the offense so I like the direction that he's headed in. I think he did some really good things throughout the spring. We'll see where that lands us once we get through fall camp, but it's going to be a competitive quarterback room."
Grubbs had a strong finish to the spring throwing his first touchdown pass inside of Notre Dame Stadium this afternoon. The Florida native has turned some heads this camp. At times, he still looks like a freshman, but that tends to happen when you're an early enrollee who's yet to start his freshman year of college. Denbrock tested his young quarterback early, and there were lessons to take away on both sides.
"I called the same play two times in a row," Denbrock shared. "The first one, he took his medicine, he dropped it down to the back and we gained a first down. On the next play, the exact next play, I called the same play and he tried to force the dig route and got picked off. So that's a little bit about young quarterbacks, their maturity and how they have to handle making decisions and making sure they don't compromise what we're trying to do as a football team along the way and that's a great lesson for him."
As competitive as the No. 2 quarterback battle is, the biggest test will be elevating Carr's game. He's going to be a main driver of success within Notre Dame's offense in the fall and he's shown signs of being a Heisman-level quarterback at times. Others, it's still a work in progress, but this offense doesn't have to take the field next weekend, and Carr is taking the necessary strides to becoming an elite signal caller.
"He is in a position now where he can steer the ship," Denbrock said. "Sometimes he steers it into a ditch and sometimes he steers it on the straight and narrow. We're still working through all that and that's his and I's responsibility to make sure we've got a comfort level there. But he's done an incredible job of taking command, not only from a leadership standpoint, but making sure if we get a look and it's a little frustrating for the play that we got called, getting us into a little bit better of a situation that gives our guys a better opportunity to be successful."
Notre Dame still has 25 practices remaining this offseason and that doesn't include summer workouts or the work this offense will put in on their own during the summer. This is one of the more talented quarterback rooms from top to bottom we've had in South Bend in quite some time. At the top, you have an experienced player in position to be one of the best in the country and a couple of young players who are on the verge of making a name for themselves as well. All signs are pointing in the right direction for the Notre Dame quarterback room.
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