CJ Carr and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish have high expectations heading into the 2026 season. After losing 34-23 to Ryan Day and the Ohio State Buckeyes in the 2025 College Football Playoff National Championship, Notre Dame was unable to make the playoffs under first-year starter Carr.
The 6-foot-3 quarterback was terrific as a freshman, completing 66.6% of his passes for 2,741 yards and 24 touchdowns, along with six interceptions. Being the grandson of former Michigan Wolverines head coach Lloyd Carr, the Saline High School graduate is used to the limelight. While at the 2026 Manning Passing Academy, the 21-year-old drew comparisons to another former Wolverine.
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On The Ringer's "The McShay Show," hosted by NFL draft analyst Todd McShay, McShay was asked who was the MVP of the Manning Passing Academy, to which he gave a resounding answer: Carr. McShay described how Carr was head and shoulders above the rest, was fluid yet consistent in his motions, and even drew comparisons to Tom Brady and Drew Brees.
"CJ Carr, Notre Dame," McShay said. "Wasn't even close. Wasn't even close. Julian Sayin was there, Arch Manning was there, there was a lot of other guys that were exceptional. And I say that, his performance in throwing the football was exceptional. That's the jumping-off point...
"...when you think about, like, (Tom) Brady and (Drew) Brees, and you think about the modern-day, like Mendoza last year. Talk about repetitive, repeatable form, mechanics. I don't want to say robotic because he's not a robotic player, but when it comes to footwork, timing, ball out. Just standing there, even watching him warm up..."
Notre Dame will start the season with a neutral-site Shamrock Series game against the Wisconsin Badgers on Sunday, Sept. 6, at Lambeau Field.
