Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said he had to "trust my gut" in selecting freshman CJ Carr to be the Fighting Irish's starting quarterback for Sunday's opener at No. 10 Miami , following a competition with Kenny Minchey that showed few statistical differences.

Carr, the grandson of former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr, will make his first career start after appearing in only one game last season and not recording any statistics. Minchey, a third-year player, has appeared in only four games for the Irish.

"Statistically, as close to any quarterback competition I've ever been a part of," Freeman said Tuesday, speaking for the first time since naming Carr the starter last week. "I was looking for that to be the reason to make a decision, and it wasn't clear."

Carr, who grew up near M

See Full Page