Notre Dame football: How an experienced CJ Carr can be what the Irish need to win it all

SOUTH BEND, Ind. - It’s not that Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr knows everything.

He can’t read a defense’s mind. He can’t tell you what’s going on in another team’s game plan. As helpful as it might be, the third-year quarterback is not omnipotent.

It’s not fair to expect Carr to know everything.

However, he knows so much more entering the 2026 season.

It’s that knowledge that has him on the cusp of being one of the best quarterbacks in program history, and one that has a chance to finally bring the Irish back to the promised land.

"We got things to do," Carr said. 

The backstory:

At this point last year, Carr was still fighting to be the starting quarterback.

The second-year quarterback and Kenny Minchey were in a battle to determine who would start Week 1 vs. Miami. Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman eventually chose Carr.

Carr won 10 games in his first season. That’s success in most quarterback’s books, but it wasn’t enough to earn Notre Dame another shot at a national title.

That helped stoked some of Carr’s biggest areas of growth.

"As boring as it may sound, it's his leadership," Notre Dame quarterbacks coach Gino Guidugli said. "He went into last season and never started a game. And sometimes in that role, you got to kinda earn your spurs through you playing games."

Carr earned those spurs.

His first two starts, losses to the Hurricanes and Texas A&M, were what eventually kept Notre Dame out of the College Football Playoff. It was a bitter pill to swallow, especially because Carr kept getting better as the year progressed.

Entering Year 2, those improvements have stuck. There were times in the spring where Carr displayed elite command of the position. The leadership skills he has stoked help in this regard.

He learned that from former Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard.

"Riley had said it when he was here, that quarterback room really made his experience," Carr said. "They're the only group of guys in the building that kind of really know what you're going through."

There’s only one starting quarterback at Notre Dame. That quarterback is expected to elevate the offense.

Thanks to what Carr knows, he’s in a perfect position to do that.

What's next:

Carr doesn’t just have a feel for Notre Dame’s offense now. You can consider him an expert.

Football does run in his blood. Every national broadcast this season will point out his grandfather, Lloyd Carr, once coached Michigan to a national championship.

Carr has carved his own path at Notre Dame, though. His understanding of offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock’s system leaves him with a simple objective.

"If we're in a really good play, go execute it," Carr said. "If we're not, just get us out of it into a manageable play."

That’s something NFL quarterbacks think about. After all, they’re among the 32 best quarterbacks on the planet.

Carr is certainly one of the best quarterbacks in college football. He’s earned that. Along with that, Guidugli said Carr has "full autonomy" of the Irish offense. Carr can change the play if he wants.

That’s because one of Carr’s best traits is reading defenses pre-snap. It got better as the season went on in 2025. That’s why Notre Dame’s offense has a chance to be so potent in 2026.

"He's going to be able to assess the defense, get us into the call that is most advantageous for us," Guidugli said. "It's a great advantage coming into gameday."

Carr still has ways to go. He’s not a perfect quarterback. When asked what he wants to improve on in the preseason before the season officially begins on Sept. 6 in Lambeau Field vs. Wisconsin, Carr pointed to the offense as a whole.

As the quarterback with a year under his belt, it’s his job to elevate the entire unit.

"We just want to continue to elevate this offense schematically," Carr said. "We want to continue to elevate the understanding of what we're trying to do within each play – and then the recognition on the field also – to help put those pieces together."

Carr’s mastery of the offense and his cerebral approach to the quarterback position are what bring him into the elite conversations. If all of it translates to success in 2026, Carr will be up for awards all over the nation. Perhaps his name goes into the Heisman Trophy race.

But, Carr isn’t thinking about that. 

Notre Dame missed the CFP last season. The pain from that is one of the biggest motivating factors in 2026. Carr can help exorcise that pain by leading the Irish to another CFP.

In doing so, he could help Notre Dame win its next, but elusive, national title.

That would cement him among one of the best passers to ever play in South Bend.

"It’s a fine line of keeping that pain … We’ve got goals we really want to accomplish," Carr said. "I’m looking forward to both those things."

Notre DameSports