Notre Dame Needs CJ Carr to Turn the Hype Into Results

Ever since Marcus Freeman was hired to replace Brian Kelly as Notre Dame's head coach in December of 2021, it has been building towards this.

Notre Dame took an initial step back when Freeman started 0-3 as a head coach, only to take a massive step forward in hunting down its first national championship since the 1988 season.

Notre Dame Enters 2026 as a National Championship Favorite

Whether its the best odds on a certain betting site or the fact it's No. 4 in the preseason AP Poll and No. 5 in the coaches, Notre Dame is clearly on the short list of teams expected to seriously compete for a national championship this fall.

There are plenty of reasons to think it can.

It has perhaps its most talented and deepest roster in over 30 years.

If you want to use the schedule as a reason then sure, Notre Dame has what should be an incredibly favorable slate to make the College Football Playoff.

And it also has that thing any great football team needs: a star quarterback.

2026 is CJ Carr's Year to Fly

A year ago, we were counting down the days to the Notre Dame opener and wondering what CJ Carr would be as a starting quarterback.

After rising to the challenge and being the main reason Notre Dame was even in the opener at Miami, and then starring in a shootout loss to Texas A&M, the Carr questions were quickly answered.

That's not to say he was perfect all year, his multiple interception games against both USC and Pittsburgh say differently, but overall he passed the test with flying colors, throwing 24 touchdown passes and just six interceptions in his first go-around.

Who are the Top 10 players for the 2026 season?

Did @joelklatt get it right? pic.twitter.com/IOh7cs3VNc
— The Joel Klatt Show: A College Football on FOX Pod (@JoelKlattShow) August 3, 2026

Carr is no longer the unknown, but instead one of the biggest stars in college football entering the season.

He's fresh off an off-season that saw him earn countless praise at the Manning Passing Academy and enters the year among the favorites to win the Heisman Trophy.

CJ Carr's Progression Changes Notre Dame's Expectations

When Notre Dame went from 2021 to 2024 with just one season featuring a starting quarterback that didn't come from the transfer portal, the hope was that the Fighting Irish would benefit from having one that was homegrown down the road, and would grow over his time in South Bend.

That's exactly what Carr is and the fact he's still united with head coach Marcus Freeman and offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock makes him a bit of an oddity when it comes to elite quarterbacks in college football.

Todd McShay says CJ Carr was the MVP of the Manning Passing Academy “and it wasn’t even close” ☘️ pic.twitter.com/pkurJQCyjs
— Bruce Straughan (@bruce_straughan) June 29, 2026

In a year that Notre Dame is saying it wants to "Leave No Doubt", perhaps no player faces more pressure nationally (yes, even Arch Manning), than CJ Carr.

Carr has the chance to be the star quarterback that truly returns Notre Dame, the biggest brand in the sport, to national championship glory for the first time in nearly 40 years.

A year ago Carr delivered and quickly became a bigger star than most imagined, certainly early on.

Now can he deliver and take that step to become a Notre Dame legend?

Notre Dame kicks off the 2026 season on Sunday, September 6 against Wisconsin in Green Bay.

If you're a Notre Dame fan, it's time to get your popcorn ready for what could be a very special fall, with the star quarterback being a huge reason why.

Add us as a preferred source on Google