CJ Carr and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are coming off a 37-26 victory over Bill Belichick and the North Carolina Tar Heels on Saturday to bring their record to 5-0 on the 2026 college football season. North Carolina quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. was under duress all game, passing for 208 yards to go along with three touchdowns and two interceptions.
Carr was fantastic in the game, completing 21 of 29 passes for 234 yards and four touchdowns, along with a rushing touchdown. Wide receiver Jordan Faison was his top target, ending with a game-high eight catches for 132 yards and catching two touchdown passes. Freshman running back Jonaz Walton was the Fighting Irish’s bell cow, rushing 23 times for 120 yards.
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Head coach Marcus Freeman and Carr have now led Notre Dame to 15 straight victories, and with a No. 3 overall ranking in the AP Top 25, the Fighting Irish are drawing national attention. On Monday, a further spotlight was put on the program and its talented quarterback.
In a post on Instagram, Notre Dame reacted to Carr being named to Davey O’Brien’s “Great 8,” which is a weekly list of eight standout college football quarterbacks. The Davey O’Brien Award is awarded annually at the end of the season to the nation’s best college football quarterback.
For Week 5, the Davey O’Brien Foundation committee elected to utilize a “Davey Double” to recognize 16 quarterbacks from the prior week of college football.
“CJ Carr has been named to this week’s Davey O’Brien Great 8! #GoIrish☘️” Notre Dame wrote in the Instagram caption.
Notre Dame will defend its Legends Trophy when it next hosts the Stanford Cardinal for a rivalry game Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET, with coverage on NBC.
