Just how much hype surrounds Notre Dame football and CJ Carr this offseason? It's not a stretch to say it's even more for both than there was last year, when analysts were calling him a Heisman contender as a redshirt freshman.
Now with a season under his belt, Carr is seen among the best quarterbacks in the country for sure. In fact, one analyst believes he's entering the 2026 season as the No. 4 quarterback in college football. And yes, that means he's a legitimate Heisman contender who could benefit from not having to share the headlines with Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price.
In an updated quarterback ranking of every presumed starting QB in the sport, Saturday Blitz's Nicholas Rome has the Notre Dame signal-caller ranked behind only Oregon's Dante Moore, Ohio State's Julian Sayin, and Ole Miss' Trinidad Chambliss. It's worth pointing out that Chambliss is likely only ahead of CJ Carr thanks to his near endless years of eligibility thanks one lawsuit after another.
CJ Carr is ranked the No. 4 quarterback in college football entering 2026
"Notre Dame had a heated battle last offseason to replace Riley Leonard," Rome wrote in explaining putting Carr at No. 4 among 68 quarterbacks. "But in the end, CJ Carr prevailed for the Fighting Irish. While CJ Carr took some lumps at the start of the season, as the year went along, he continued to progress, looking like arguably the best quarterback in the Country."
"Notre Dame loses Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price, which will lead to a reliance on Carr and the passing attack, which could lead to a Heisman campaign."
CJ Carr certainly has the swagger that it will take in order to lead Notre Dame to its first National Title since 1988. He's already shown it in practice this spring. As he will now be the key weapon in the Fighting Irish attack, there's a very good chance he could rise up the ranks when the season is ongoing.
Add us as a preferred source on Google