CJ Carr’s Manning Academy showing gives Notre Dame hype real teeth

CJ Carr has gotten all sorts of accolades and hype this offseason. However, the hype and accolades he received at the Manning Passing Academy are different, and it's not hard to see why. The compliments he received earlier this week are about what the Notre Dame quarterback did on the field, rather than what he's expected to do, or what he did last season.

On3's Wilson Alexander recently laid out who he saw as the top performers at the Manning Passing Academy so far this week, and the Irish gunslinger managed to rank as the No. 2 player on the list. Interestingly, the quarterback ranked ahead of him is one that most rankings might overlook. North Carolina State's CJ Bailey is Alexander's top performer.

One Reddit user shared a look at Alexander's deep dive on the Notre Dame quarterback to see why Carr has impressed analysts so much at this special camp. It's a camp that one Arch Manning attends, so Carr outperforming him is a fun little twist. That he's beating out some of the best quarterbacks in the country at this little event is plenty impressive, too.

"CJ Carr had one of the smoothest throwing motions among the quarterbacks. He uses his base well, and there’s not a lot of wasted movement," the On3 analyst reportedly wrote. "There was an efficiency to his mechanics that stood out."

CJ Carr earns Manning Passing Academy praise from On3 analyst

"Carr didn’t make many flashy throws, but he showed accuracy and touch to multiple levels of the field. Now entering his second year as a starter, Carr hopes to build on a promising debut season with Notre Dame."

That Carr didn't make a ton of flashy throws might be a good sign. If there was one complaint about the way he played for the Irish last year, it was that he tried to do too much at times. Sometimes he even ran himself into a sack and a big loss trying to avoid pressure. Other times, he threw an interception on a ball that should never have been put anywhere near a defender.

While Carr finished behind Bailey in Alexander's unofficial rankings, who did he manage to beat out? It's a list that Notre Dame fans hope he can outshine when it matters most in 2026:

1. CJ Bailey (North Carolina State)
2. CJ Carr (Notre Dame)
3. Trinidad Chambliss (Ole Miss)
4. Jerry Kaminski (North Dakota)
5. Arch Manning (Texas)
6. John Mateer (Oklahoma)
7. Drew Westemaker (Oklahoma State)
8. Marcel Reed (Texas A&M)
9. Julian Sayin (Ohio State)
10. Kamario Taylor (Mississippi State)
11. Conner Weigman (Houston)

Mateer being on the list, but well behind Carr, is interesting, considering an analyst recently ranked the Sooners' QB as the best in the country. It's also interesting that two CJs are right at the top of the list.

None of this has a big impact on what will happen this season, but Notre Dame fans should be plenty happy that CJ Carr has performed so well against the best quarterbacks in college football.

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