Marcus Freeman and CJ Carr led Notre Dame to a 10-win season in 2025 and set several program efficiency marks. While there is early discussion regarding Carr as a potential high-round pick for the 2027 NFL Draft, he remains a cornerstone of the Irish’s 2026 national championship aspirations.
CJ Carr Is a Key Focus as Marcus Freeman’s Notre Dame Faces a Bittersweet Recruiting Update
Notre Dame isn’t merely deep with talent, as some outlets have even pegged the Irish as the No. 1 roster in the nation after combining recruiting rankings, transfer portal evaluations, and other factors.
On his “Always College Football” podcast on Wednesday, Greg McElroy discussed Notre Dame’s outlook for the 2026 season under Freeman.
“Marcus Freeman, even though he was wooed by some NFL teams, decided to stay in South Bend, and I think in part because of just how good this team is that he’s built heading into this upcoming season,” McElroy said. “This is a team that is designed to leave no doubt in the committee’s mind this time around, that’s for sure, and a big part of the bullishness of their evaluation is the quarterback situation.
“Well, it’s because it feels like for the first time in eternity Notre Dame isn’t starting a new quarterback. Well, CJ Carr is the program. Mike Denbrock knows what it’s going to take to get the best out of Carr from week one through week 13 and hopefully for Irish fans beyond that. So while other teams are installing new terminology and feeling out their new portal quarterbacks, Carr and Denbrock, they’ll be playing chess while everyone else is still playing checkers.”
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With Carr under center, Notre Dame will once again feature a returning starting quarterback, something the program hasn’t had since 2020. He ranks No. 23 nationally in the PFSN College Football QB Impact Metric with an 85.9 score.
Carr started all 12 regular-season games for Notre Dame in 2025 and led the Fighting Irish to a 10-game winning streak. He threw for 2,741 yards and 24 touchdowns with six interceptions, finishing with a 66.6% completion rate and an 83.4 QBR. Carr is currently a Heisman co-favorite, as many expect him to take a big jump in 2026, which could help guide the Irish toward a National Championship run.
This is a great momentum for Notre Dame football, which will also finish the 2026 cycle with the No. 2 recruiting class in the country, according to Rivals. It’s the highest-ranked Irish class of the internet era per the Rivals Industry Ranking, and 25 of the 30 signees are already enrolled.
Meanwhile, Rivals’ Mike Singer pointed out an interesting wrinkle in the outlet’s list of the top college football recruiters from the 2026 cycle. Notre Dame had two coaches represented: Mike Mickens and Al Washington. However, none of them will be in Freeman’s squad for the upcoming cycles.
Mickens, Notre Dame’s co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach, officially joined the Baltimore Ravens on Feb. 2. Washington, who served as linebackers coach and defensive run game coordinator, left for the Miami Dolphins in late January. Maintaining Notre Dame’s recruiting surge without those two key figures will undoubtedly be a huge test for Freeman.
