Just days away from his season opener, Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr has staked his claim to being the best quarterback in the game already.
Yes, things could change quite a bit depending on how good Carr’s 2026 season goes. However, should he have the kind of performance that many expect him to have in his second year as a starter, the idea that he’s not as good as Texas’ Arch Manning needs to go away forever. The two might not have met on the field, and they might never do so until they both make it to the NFL, but Carr has competed indirectly with the third generation of the legendary quarterback family.
Both quarterbacks attended Manning Passing Academy this summer, and Carr impressed onlookers. That part wasn’t a secret. That some veteran analysts believe the Notre Dame QB1 performed better than Manning wasn’t a secret either. However, USA Today’s John Brice recently wrote about what he was told after the summer camp, and it once again shows that Carr might not be getting enough hype heading into the 2026 season.
Brice said he spoke with a head coach of a camp participant and a QB at the camp to get a player’s perspective on the Carr vs. Manning debate.
Notre Dame football quarterback CJ Carr strengthens case as 2027 NFL Draft QB1
“Both guys were great,” the quarterback reportedly said. “Super talented. But I had some classroom stuff with Carr. Unbelievable dude. Throwing the football? I’m taking Carr every day of the week.”
The “classroom stuff” is largely overlooked when NFL Draft experts go on network television and give their takes on who should be the first quarterback taken in the next NFL Draft. Sure, “student of the game” comes up every now and then, but it usually refers to a guy who is undertalented compared to the big arms that will actually go No. 1 overall.
Carr has the big arm that’s also very accurate, but he’s also a student of the game. That might be the x-factor when comparing the Notre Dame signal-caller to Manning next spring, when both are showing out at the NFL Combine.
“When my guy got back,” the head coach told Brice, “he told me CJ was the best quarterback there that week.”
The 2027 NFL Draft class at quarterback is already considered to be significantly better than the 2026 crew by most NFL scouts. With Carr, Dante Moore, Manning and Drew Mestemaker to name just four, teams without a “quarterback of the future” are licking their lips.
Still, while the talent of this class is plenty spread out, only one guy can go No. 1, and Notre Dame’s CJ Carr sure looks like he should be that dude.
Add us as a preferred source on Google