Lofty Expectations: Can CJ Carr Live Up to the Hype?
- Noah Wehby
- 8 minutes ago
- 4 min read
The hype around CJ Carr continues to grow, as ESPN's David Hale has ranked him among the very best of college football's returning quarterbacks. The question now is, will he live up to the extreme expectations?
Photo by The Irish Tribune
Recently, ESPN's David Hale ranked all 138 college football starting QBs. In that article, he placed Carr in the top tier of all QBs, surrounding him with Arch Manning, Trinidad Chambliss, and Darian Mensah. This, combined with the initial Heisman odds, which have Carr as one of the favorites to win, has Carr in rarified air for a Notre Dame QB. He is going into the 2026 season as not only one of the most hyped up QBs in the country, but maybe one of the most hyped QBs in Notre Dame history. With this, there will be a lot of pressure for him to perform at that level, especially considering he has only started in 12 career games.
Last season, Carr was a revelation for Notre Dame and its fans. For so long, Notre Dame struggled to find a homegrown QB that could compete with the very best in college football. Although Riley Leonard was excellent in 2024, even leading his team to the National Championship appearance, he was never a player who could dominate the game with his arm. He was a game manager with good mobility who never had a long-term future at Notre Dame, as he came in with only one year of eligibility remaining.
Carr, on the other hand, came in as a coveted recruit who paid his dues as a backup until he earned his spot as a starter. From there, Carr showed off his elite arm talent, something that had been missing in South Bend for years. Although his skillset and competitiveness were apparent from the start, Carr still made all the mistakes a young QB is prone to. He would sometimes lose his footwork in the pocket, he would force throws into tough windows, and would decline to throw the ball away, opting to try to hit the home-run play every time. Even with the mistakes, Carr did more than enough to get the attention of the entire country with his 2025 campaign, starting the hype for a big 2026 season.
Looking to this upcoming season, there are a lot of reasons to believe Carr will take another huge step in his progression. He now has a full season of experience under his belt, giving many comfort heading into next season. During Notre Dame's spring camp, spectators raved about Carr's newfound ability to read the game at a much higher level. Carr has always had the arm to make every throw on the field, but he may now have the vision and intelligence to put him and his teammates in the best position to succeed.
Outside of Carr's development, the entire Notre Dame offense may be better set up to give Carr a great chance to have a special season. Last year, the offense revolved around the stellar play of Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price. As a duo, they were more than capable of carrying a bulk of the offensive load, making Carr's job relatively easy. Now, with both backs gone, Notre Dame will have to rely on Carr to take on that burden. Luckily for him, he has a lot around him to make his job easier. In 2026, Carr will likely be playing behind one of the best offensive lines in all of college football. It is a group made up of a lot of returning experience and some exciting young talent, such as Will Black. To go with Carr's excellent offensive line, he will also be throwing to a new and improved wide receiver group. Jordan Faison, Jaden Greathouse, and Micah Gilbert are all back, giving him familiar faces to throw to once again. The group adds the exciting young talent of former five-star Ohio State transfers Mylan Graham and Quincy Porter. On top of all of this, the room still contains Cam Williams and a lot of talented freshman that could contribute in a big way.
With all of this, and another year of progression, it is understandable why so many people are high on Carr. He has everything he needs to be a difference-maker in 2026 and deliver Notre Dame fans what they have been waiting on for decades.
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