With Notre Dame and the rest of the college football world turning its focus full to 2026, CJ Carr is officially the odds-on favorite to win the Heisman next fall.
Carr is coming off a stellar first season as a starting quarterback for the Fighting Irish. The redshirt freshman completed 66% of his passes for 2,741 yards and 24 TDs while throwing just 6 interceptions. It's not hard to believe he'd then enter his sophomore season as one of the best QBs in the country.
FanDuel has released its "way too early" Heisman Trophy odds, and the Notre Dame signal caller is at the top of the list with 8/1 odds. He's followed closely by Arch Manning at 8.5/1 odds.
2026 HEISMAN ODDS ARE HERE 🚨
— FanDuel Sportsbook (@FDSportsbook) January 20, 2026
CJ Carr & Arch Manning lead the way 😤 pic.twitter.com/yNWFGeh9Uq
Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr tops early Heisman betting lines
Carr's odds to win the trophy have actually improved in a short period of time. Just a few days ago, he was considered to be in a tie with Manning, but he's not jumped ahead of the pack all by himself.
After Manning and Carr, the candidates start to group up. Ohio State's Julian Sayin and Jeremiah Smith, along with Indiana's Josh Hoover and Oregon's Dante Moore, are tied at 11/1 odds. Smith is the only non-quarterback among the Top 12 on the FanDuel list.
Miami receiver Malachi Toney, who had his own spectacular freshman season, is 13th with 27/1 odds, and then the rest of the Top 20 are all quarterbacks.
One factor going into Carr being at the top of the list is Notre Dame having a much easier schedule compared to both past Irish seasons and the other top contenders for the Heisman. Rather than starting the season against Texas A&M or Miami, he'll have the opportunity to begin his campaign against a Wisconsin team that floundered its way to a 4-8 2025 season.