Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr had a pretty good freshman season after winning the starting job over now Kentucky quarterback Kenny Minchey. After a long battle, head coach Marcus Freeman handed the keys over to Carr to lead the offense, but it was honestly still a very run-heavy offense behind Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price.
Carr finished the season with 2,741 passing yards, 24 touchdowns, and only six interceptions with a 66.6% completion rate. Those are great numbers for a guy who was playing his first year of college football as the starting QB, but now Carr is ready to see those numbers get even better.
This is the first time in awhile tha Notre Dame is going into the season knowing who their starting quarteback with be without a fall position battle. Carr is ready to take his game to the next level, but he isn't listening to any of the hype around his game.
CJ Carr is keeping his mind on one thing and it isn't the Heisman Trophy
Carr joined The Triple Option Podcast, talking with former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer, former Alabama running back Mark Ingram II, and Rob Stone to talk about the upcoming Notre Dame season. Ingram asked Carr about his thoughts on being in the way-too-early Heisman rankings, and the Notre Dame quarterback gave the perfect answer.
"Like you said, it is way too early. If you had looked at last year's projected Heisman winner, I don't think Fernando Mendoza would be anywhere near that," Carr said. "So, it really doesn't mean anything to me; it doesn't mean anything to this program."
Notre Dame QB CJ Carr couldn’t care less about his Heisman hype.
— Tyler Horka (@tbhorka) April 29, 2026
“It’s all about winning here and that’s what we’re worried about.”
via @3xOptionShow https://t.co/Ox5ELq1yyk pic.twitter.com/hdXKGKqJXl
Carr's answer was exactly what Notre Dame fans would want to hear. There is no use in looking or listening to the hype with those rankings, as they truly are way too early. Carr said that everyone in the building is focused on one thing, and that it is winning games.
Last season, two early losses ended up coming back to haunt Notre Dame when it came to the College Football Playoff selections, leaving them out of the bracket. So, sure, a Heisman Trophy would be amazing for Carr, but when it comes to the team, he has his mind on not leaving any doubt in the mind of the selection committee.
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