Elite QB Predicted to End College Football Powerhouse's 39-Year Heisman Drought

A preseason Heisman favorite is predicted to end one of college football's longest trophy droughts at a storied blue-blood program that last won the award nearly four decades ago.

This redshirt sophomore quarterback is one of the early preseason favorites to take home the Heisman, which would end his program's nearly four-decade drought for the award. | MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr enters 2026 as one of the frontrunners to win the Heisman Trophy, and a national media consensus is forming around it. CBS Sports' Austin Nivison predicted Carr will take home the award, which would give the Fighting Irish their first Heisman winner since 1987.

Carr is coming off a redshirt freshman campaign in which he completed 66.7% of his passes for 2,741 yards and 24 touchdowns against just six interceptions. He averaged 9.4 yards per attempt, and with that dynamite 2025 season, he leads the odds at several sportsbooks for the Heisman.

Notre Dame's run to Carr being a preseason Heisman favorite is historically notable. No Fighting Irish player has been in that position since at least 2009, which is as far back as the Sports Odds History database goes.

What CJ Carr needs to do to win the Heisman

The case for Carr is obvious because he's efficient, surrounded by talent, and Notre Dame is a brand name that drives voter attention. The case against him is out of his control. The Irish's soft schedule means he could face, at most, two projected top-25 opponents, giving him few opportunities to impress voters on the game's biggest stages.

Carr addressed that challenge directly in a conversation with former coach Urban Meyer on The Triple Option podcast. "A big theme going into this year that we've talked about is starting fast," Carr said. "For the last few years, we haven't started fast, and so this year is going to be a big emphasis."

Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman talks with quarterback CJ Carr during the Blue-Gold game at Notre Dame Stadium. | Michael Caterina-Imagn Images

His Blue & Gold spring game performance in April raised some eyebrows.

The 21-year-old signal-caller completed 7 of 15 passes for 55 yards with an interception, and analyst Brad Powers noted that "3-4 passes were way off the mark," though he added he "wouldn't overthink this" given Carr reportedly had one of the best scrimmage performances by a Notre Dame quarterback in recent memory just a week earlier. Head coach Marcus Freeman has called Carr a perfectionist, suggesting there's still untapped upside.

Notre Dame's Heisman drought, Tim Brown's legacy

The last time a Notre Dame player won the Heisman was 1987, when wide receiver Tim Brown beat out Syracuse's Don McPherson with 1,442 votes. Brown was the program's seventh winner and makes for a remarkable gap in wins for a school that once collected the award at a historic rate.

Notre Dame's Heisman history reads like a who's who of college football royalty, starting with Angelo Bertelli in 1943 and including Johnny Lujack, Leon Hart, Johnny Lattner, Paul Hornung and John Huarte. Hornung remains the only player in history to win the Heisman from a losing team, taking the award in 1956 despite Notre Dame going just 2-8 that season.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Lou Holtz with receiver Tim Brown (81) on the sidelines at Notre Dame Stadium. | Malcolm Emmons-Imagn Images

The Irish have produced finalists in the years since Brown's win, most recently running back Jeremiyah Love in 2025, but none have sealed the deal. Carr, now the program's most hyped Heisman contender in at least 15 years, has a real chance to change that.

He'll open his season Sept. 6 at Lambeau Field against Wisconsin at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.