The 2025 season was a breakout year for CJ Carr and Jeremiyah Love. Though it ended with the Irish narrowly missing the College Football Playoff, Love successfully made it to the NFL, and Carr is aiming for big things in the 2026 season.
Analyst Gives CJ Carr the Ultimate Compliment in Jeremiyah Love Comparison
Many believe Carr spent much of the 2025 season simply managing the game and leaning on the elite rushing attack of Love and Jadarian Price. However, analyst Blain Crain thinks that when Notre Dame needed answers, Carr was the one in control.
“People don’t realize this, but like CJ Carr got thrown into the fire immediately,” Crain said on the “Crain & Cone” podcast on Tuesday. “Immediate road, on the road on a team who just lost in the National Championship, and when the lights were the brightest, it wasn’t Jeremiyah’s Love’s name in the sky, right when they got on the roof, and the captain or whether the sergeant is from Batman. I can’t remember his name.
“It was, yeah, what mission or Gordon Commissioner Gordon? It wasn’t him, especially versus Miami or Texas A&M. It was CJ Carr. CJ Carr kept them in against Miami. CJ Carr kept in that game against A&M. I mean, you threw for 300 against A&M. You threw for 240 against Miami, and you basically just learned how to drive, and he went out there and did that. So I think CJ Carr is going to be fantastic.”
Notre Dame offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock has expressed strong confidence in Carr’s command of the offense as a returning starter. Carr was highly productive in the 2025 season, completing 195 of 293 passes (66.6%) for 2,741 yards, 24 touchdowns, and only 6 interceptions. He finished the season with a 168.1 passer rating and earned an 85.9 grade in the PFSN College Football QB Impact Metric.
Notre Dame has been waiting for a quarterback like Carr, who has continued to earn praise throughout spring practice. Marcus Freeman’s program ended spring ball on Saturday with the Blue-Gold Game, where Carr reportedly went 7 of 15 for 55 yards, along with 1 interception and 1 sack. Some observers felt he did not look as sharp in that outing, though it was only a spring game, and he still carries heavy potential moving forward.
“He’s a competitor, he’s a leader, he doesn’t follow the trends of others,” Freeman told ESPN about Carr. “Man, he’s a trendsetter.”
Carr is already being talked about as a potential top-tier prospect for the 2027 NFL Draft. If that prediction turns true, it will be a big boost for the Irish, who have not produced a first-round NFL quarterback since Brady Quinn in 2007.
