The One Player ESPN Says Could Define Notre Dame’s 2025 Success

Bill Connelly of ESPN believes that expected starting quarterback CJ Carr may be the difference-maker in determining the Fighting Irish's 2025 ceiling.

Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr during the Notre Dame Blue-Gold spring football game at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, April 12, 2025, in South Bend. | MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Notre Dame’s aspirations for returning to the national title game – and preferably triumphing this time around – are hardly far-fetched. With another manageable schedule, although both Miami (Week One) and Texas A&M (Week Three) won’t be cakewalks, the Fighting Irish are well-positioned to, at the very least, spend a second straight season in the College Football Playoff. 

In fact, ESPN previewed Notre Dame’s upcoming campaign, and tabbed the Fighting Irish as “one of the surest playoff contenders on the board.” Still, nothing is guaranteed – and ESPN’s Bill Connelly believes much of Notre Dame’s success rests on the inexperienced shoulders of projected starting quarterback CJ Carr.

QB CJ Carr was excellent in the Blue-Gold Game.

14-19, 170 yds, 2 TD, INT.

It's a glorified practice, but the soon-to-be sophomore looked the part. pic.twitter.com/KiBju8p7WF

— Bennett Wise WSBT (@BennettWiseWSBT) April 12, 2025

Ranked as the nation’s 45th-overall recruit (247 Sports) and sixth-best quarterback in the Class of 2024, the 6-foot-3, 210-pound Carr has a season of college football under his belt, but almost no in-game experience. Learning from an accomplished collegiate quarterback in Riley Leonard certainly has its benefits but nothing can make up for the knowledge gained from in-game reps – something Carr didn’t get last season. 

Nonetheless, the expectation is Carr will rise to expectations. Connelly pointed out that Carr “is by most accounts super-smart with a super-strong arm,” and also mentioned that last year’s backup Steve Angeli transferring out as a clear sign of the coaching staff’s confidence in Carr, and willingness to hand him the keys. 

And, if Carr meets, let alone surpasses expectations, well, Connelly sees a potentially near-perfect squad: “If [Carr’s] good, Notre Dame might not have a single weakness.”