How good will Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr be in his second year at the helm of one of the most talented offenses in the country? Oddly enough, the reports about just how good he can be are a bit mixed. Some believe he’s a surefire first-round pick in next year’s NFL Draft. Others believe he’s got quite a bit to work on and most of his success last year came thanks to a deadly backfield combo of Jadarian Price and Jeremiyah Love, teamed with a less-than-impressive schedule after the team’s first two games.
The truth is somewhere in the middle between those who believe he’s overrated and might not make the first four rounds, and those calling him the top quarterback in the class. The Athletic decided that analysts' opinions weren’t enough to base any opinion on how Carr and the rest of the quarterbacks in college football would do. Instead, the publication surveyed roughly three dozen coaches, general managers, personnel directors, scouts and front office staffers across the country, representing every conference.
The Athletic then put every single starting quarterback from all 138 programs at the FBS level into tiers. From best of the best to journeyman quarterback who has reached their ceiling, and that ceiling isn’t very high. So knowing all of that, where does Notre Dame’s quarterback rank? The panel of experts has CJ Carr as the third-best quarterback in the country and very solidly in Tier 1.
“For sure top-three (quarterback),” a P4 general manager told The Athletic. “Poised, makes all the throws, can layer the ball, elite processor, captain, kids love him, ultra competitor. He’s unbelievable. He’s a top-10 pick.”
CJ Carr earns elite praise entering second season as Notre Dame starter
“I think he is a really high-level NFL prospect,” a Power 4 offensive coordinator added. “I like his game a lot. He makes some big-time throws. I think he got to where he was pretty confident playing at a high level, so I think he’ll take the next step and really be able to be a guy for them.”
That’s not to say that Carr is perfect just yet. More than a few people have pinpointed that Carr needs to work on his footwork. It was clear even last year to anyone who had eyes that at times, he tried to play hero ball.
The Notre Dame quarterback made some decisions that were very obviously made by a freshman going through his first season. Whether putting a ball up for grabs or running backward for dozens of yards, there were times when his decision-making wasn’t up to par.
The good news here is that Notre Dame has a very good quarterbacks coach in Gino Guidugli and then a very good offensive coordinator in Mike Denbrock. Carr also knows that if he manages to improve on a season where he threw for 24 touchdowns and 6 interceptions, he really can be among the best in the business. The idea of really being a Top 10 pick in the 2027 NFL Draft is plenty attractive.
Notre Dame found a way to get the most out of CJ Carr in his first season as a starter. It will do that again in 2027 and that will allow the quarterback to live up to the hype people in the industry is selling.
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