It's no secret that whoever wins the backup quarterback job for Notre Dame won't be the veteran presence the Irish have had the last few years. Now that the race is officially on, the dark horse candidate in Teddy Jarrard might already be morphing into the odds-on favorite.
It helps that Jarrard is facing off against another true freshman, Noah Grubbs, and a redshirt freshman for the QB2 job. However, considering that the former 4-star prospect was just able to join the squad just last month, he's already shown some seriously impressive abilities that even the Irish coaches have gone out of their way to mention.
"I don’t know if I was surprised by it, because he has a lot of the same characteristics that we saw when we recruited CJ and knew of CJ," Notre Dame offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock said after the team's first practice of fall camp. "He’s a studier of the game. He’s a baller."
Originally, Jarrard wouldn't even be in South Bend now. He was supposed to be a 2027 recruit and was, in fact, the guy the Irish thought would come in next January and start working for the possible QB1 job if CJ Carr leaves after this season. However, he was reclassified to the 2026 cycle and joined Grubbs in signing with Marcus Freeman and Co. last December.
“I don’t know if I was surprised by it, because he has a lot of the same characteristics that we saw when we recruited CJ and knew of CJ. He’s a studier of the game. He’s a baller." #NotreDame OC Mike Denbrock on Teddy Jarrard's unfreshman-like practice debut. https://t.co/OVMJGzOS0w
— Eric Hansen (@EHansenND) August 7, 2026
Teddy Jarrard emerges in Notre Dame football backup quarterback race
That technically put the 6-4, 210-pound gunslinger at a disadvantage since Hebert got to watch and learn all last season, and then he and Grubbs (who was an early enrollee) went through spring practice as Carr's understudies.
Jarrard did Zoom calls with the Notre Dame staff and his teammates to stay abreast of what he was missing. Freeman and others also made it clear that the real quarterback battle for Carr's backup spot wouldn't begin until the summer. That was perhaps the biggest hint yet that there was some belief around campus that the young freshman would get a real chance at winning the position.
Considering what Jarrard accomplished at North Cobb High School (Kennesaw, GA) in the limited time he was there, that's not shocking. He completed 176 of 271 passes for 2,300 yards, 18 touchdowns, and five interceptions during his 2025 season, helping the Warriors reach the second round of the Georgia Class 6A playoffs. In 2024 at North Cobb Christian, he completed 222 of 323 passes for 2,752 yards and 31 touchdowns with five interceptions.
What most people saw on Thursday was a freshman who looked "unfreshmanlike" slinging the ball around and starting to run the Notre Dame offense. The real question for onlookers now is how he will handle it when the Irish get farther into camp and he struggles here or there.
The Notre Dame situation is unlike most in college football this year precisely because there really isn't anyone in the room (besides the starter, Carr) who has any experience at the college level. That could end up being Teddy Jarrard's secret weapon as he continues to work to impress and surprise, and eventually win that coveted QB2 slot.
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