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Notre Dame quarterback Kenny Minchey was one of the first names announced to the portal after the regular season ended. After red shirt freshman CJ Carr was named the starter in fall camp this past offseason, this was a move that was expected for quite some time. The former consensus four-star quarterback recruit from Hendersonville, Tennessee will have two years of eligibility remaining and is looking for a destination in the portal where he can step in and be the guy on day one. We took a look at some of the best potential landing spots for Minchey. This isn't intel, just our opinions on where he would fit the best. 

Best Landing Spots

Louisville Cardinals – Louisville head coach Jeff Brohm has been one of the better quarterback developers and offensive minds in the country. Former Cardinals quarterback Tyler Shough threw for 3,195 yards and 23 touchdowns in his final year in college in 2024 and was drafted by the New Orleans Saints. Shough currently has the second highest odds to win offensive rookie of the year in the league in 2025. Pairing Minchey with that Louisville running back room consisting of Isaac Brown and Keyjaun Brown would be a strong pairing with Minchey's pocket passing ability. The 6-2, 204-pound quarterback would also greatly benefit from further development under Brohm. 

Arizona State Sun Devils – With the departure of Sam Leavitt, Arizona State will be in need of a starting quarterback in the 2026 season. Back up quarterback Jeff Sims, who took over for Leavitt after a season ending injury is also out of eligibility. That leaves 6-6, 220-pound former Arkansas State transfer Christian Hunt who has yet to take a single snap at the collegiate level and incoming true freshman Jake Fette from El Paso, Texas. I like the pairing of Minchey with young and savvy head coach Kenny Dillingham who's quick ascension in the college football world has turned a lot of heads. Minchey has more arm talent than their previous starter and brings comparable talent to the table with his legs. 

Virginia Cavaliers – The Cavaliers were arguably one of the most surprising teams in college football this season. After finishing the 2024 season 5-7, head coach Tony Elliot brought his program back in big fashion winning 11 games in 2025 and playing for the ACC Championship despite losing impact players like Malachi Fields last offseason. Transfer portal quarterback Chandler Morris played a big role in their overall success throwing for 3,000 yards, 16 touchdowns and rushing for five more scores. Morris, a 6-0, 192-pound quarterback, had been around the block in the portal playing for four different schools in his collegiate career. His time has now come to an end; Minchey would be a strong fit in this offense and could elevate this Elliot-led program another step in 2026. 

Texas Tech Red Raiders – Texas Tech's rapid ascension this season also turned a lot of heads. They went 12-1, won the Big 12 and are gearing up to face the Oregon Ducks on New Year's Day in the Capital One Orange Bowl. Starting quarterback Behren Morton is playing in his fifth and final season in Lubbock and the Red Raiders will be on the lookout for another starting quarterback. Back up transfer quarterback Mitch Griffis will also be out of eligibility this season leaving current true freshman Lloyd Jones III and incoming true freshman Stephen Cannon. Getting a veteran presence like Minchey into the room would benefit both Jones and Cannon and Minchey would have a clear path to come in and start for head coach Joey McGuire. 

Avoidable Landing Spots

Iowa Hawkeyes – I know Minchey is garnishing some interests from Big 10 schools. Iowa will be in need of a starting quarterback this season with the departure of Mark Gronowski, but I don't love Minchey's fit here. Iowa has a proven track record of not developing quarterbacks and you could argue that transfer digress when they get to Iowa City. The Hawkeyes haven't had a starting quarterback throw for over 10 passing touchdowns in a season since 2019 and have one had one quarterback reach 10 passing touchdowns in a season once since then. The last two transfer quarterbacks Kirk Ferentz has brought in, Gronowski in 2025 and Cade McNamara in 2024, were supposed to 'turn the offense around.' I don't want to see Minchey charged with the same fate. 

Clemson Tigers – With the departure of Cade Klubnik, the Tigers will also be on the lookout for a new starting quarterback in 2026. With the recent firing of offensive coordinator Garrett Riley, there's a lot of moving parts right now at Clemson on offense. The portal window opens at the end of this week and it's still unclear who will go and who will stay for them. I'd also question the level of quarterback development for Clemson in the post-Trevor Lawrence era. Minchey is a good enough talent to put numbers up with the Tigers. I just don't see his development taking that next step in Clemson, South Carolina. That could change depending on who they bring in as their offensive coordinator, but the quarterback development problems were prevalent prior to Riley's hire in 2023. 

Florida Gators – Florida is another school that has struggled to develop quarterbacks in recent years. With the departure of DJ Lagway, there's an opening for the starting role and I like Jon Sumerall as a quarterback developer, but doing it at Florida is different than Tulane and Troy. Not to say he won't be able to, we just don't know what it will look like at this level. I don't love the supporting cast Minchey would be walking into, and there's expected to be a good level of portal movement and there's already 11 offensive players, not including Lagway, that have already announced their intentions of entering the portal. There's too much going on down in Gainesville for my liking for Minchey to walk into. 

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