Urban Meyer chastised Notre Dame for employing transfer quarterbacks while ignoring Brian Kelly’s recruiting shortcomings and shifting transfer trends.
Disgraced former college football head coach Urban Meyer appeared on the Triple Option show earlier this week. When asked about Notre Dame, the former Irish assistant and complete NFL washout couldn’t stop himself. Meyer went on a rampage about Notre Dame having a transfer quarterback again this season.
“I just get confused and don’t quite understand,” Meyer said. “Marcus Freeman is an excellent coach. He was a terrible person. We went there last year, and he treats us well, and I’ve known him for a long time. But how does Notre Dame keep going to Wake Forest and Duke to recruit quarterbacks?” he continued.
“Those are fine players. Noting Sam Hartman’s transfer from last year. Riley Leonard is a Duke graduate this year. Meyer said, “A good player again.” “But you are Notre Dame.” Only one national champion in the last ten years has used a transfer quarterback. “And it was Joe Borrow.”
“So I guess I’m old school, and I know things are changing, but to win it all, I believe you need a quarterback who has been there before. That is your school’s culture, and it brings everyone together all the time. “Until that happens, I believe Notre Dame will be a good team,” Meyer added.
Meyer went on to discuss how expectations at Notre Dame have changed, despite the fact that they have not.
“When I worked with Lou Holtz, it was always national title or bust. I’m not sure that’s the standard anymore, and I hope they return to it. I believe they can, but you will need an All-American. Take that, Brady Quinn. And coach him and allow him to establish that culture for three years.
Meyer isn’t wrong that having a transfer as your starting quarterback isn’t ideal, but college football has changed dramatically in the last decade owing to the transfer portal. Second, Meyer is criticizing Marcus Freeman while omitting to emphasize that the absence of an All-American junior on the roster is not Freeman’s responsibility.
This year’s junior class at Notre Dame was largely the result of Brian Kelly’s efforts—or lack thereof. Kelly and then-offensive coordinator Tommy Rees made Steve Angeli their main target in the 2022 class, and while Angeli has performed admirably, there’s a reason Freeman went to the portal for Riley Leonard this year. Angeli is a competent quarterback who can win some games but is not an All-American candidate. If he were, Notre Dame would not have returned to the gateway this year.
Freeman is attempting to achieve precisely what Meyer mentions through recruiting, which is why Notre Dame will have Kenny Minchey and CJ Carr compete with Angeli for the starting position in 2025. Carr appears to be Notre Dame’s next Brady Quinn—a multi-year starter with All-American potential.
So, Notre Dame is doing exactly what Meyer advises, but Brian Kelly’s decade-long failure to re
cruit and develop quarterbacks is more responsible for the current scenario than Marcus Freeman.
Transfers are becoming far more common, including at quarterback, than they were five years ago. Three of the four Heisman finalists in 2023 are transfer quarterbacks. Last year’s national runner-up, Washington, used a transfer quarterback. Meyer’s beloved Ohio State Buckeyes have a transfer quarterback this season.
So, while it would be ideal if Notre Dame’s starting quarterback this year was a junior or senior whom the Irish recruited and developed into an All-American, given the options available to Freeman and the Irish, they could have done a lot worse than Riley Leonard starting next weekend in College Station.
And why are podcasts and outlets still giving Meyer a platform? People should have stopped giving him a microphone after he embarrassed himself with the Jacksonville Jaguars, but they haven’t.
