CJ Carr downplays status as preseason Heisman Trophy favorite

A week after the 2026 NFL Draft, Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr is already garnering plenty of offseason hype, including being mentioned as a potential Top 10 pick in several of the “way-too-early” 2027 mock drafts released over the last few days. Not that he’s letting any of it affect him.

But, with more than four months left before the Fighting Irish’s 2026 season-opener Sept. 6 against Wisconsin at Lambeau Field, the 20-year-old Carr is squarely focused on what he can control. That’s preparing to avenge last year’s College Football Playoff snub.

It’s why the second-year starting QB refuses to even concern himself with what Las Vegas oddsmakers think about his potential Heisman chances. Carr is currently in a two-way tie with Texas junior QB Arch Manning as the frontrunner to win the 2026 Heisman Trophy with +750 odds, according to BetMGM.

“It’s way-too-early. If you had looked at last year’s projected Heisman winner, I don’t think Fernando Mendoza would be anywhere near that,” Carr said on the latest episode of the Triple Option podcast with co-hosts Mark Ingram, Urban Meyer and Rob Stone. “So it really doesn’t mean anything to me, and it doesn’t mean anything to this program, until we get to go out and play Wisconsin in Week 1, and carry that momentum week-in and week-out.

“Our goal here is to play our best football each week, and team glory is what we’re after. And with team glory, the individual rewards will come. But it’s all about winning here, and that’s what we’re worried about.”

For his part, the 6-foot-3 Carr is seeking to build off a breakout 2025 season, his first as Notre Dame’s starter. He threw for 2,741 yards and 24 touchdowns to just six interceptions while completing 66.6% of his passes as a redshirt freshman.

Marcus Freeman lays out next steps for CJ Carr in Year 2 as Notre Dame QB

While looking at what could lie ahead for Carr, Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman praised the former four-star recruit’s preparation and his pedigree as the grandson of former Michigan national championship-winning coach Lloyd Carr. But Freeman also called Carr a “perfectionist,” which is why he thinks there’s more potential to unlock.

“I would say the preparation, but I can’t with him,” Freeman told On3’s J.D. PicKell on The Hard Count. “He’s prepared from the moment he stepped on campus like he’s been the starter. It’s just a reflection of the way he was raised. Obviously, a coach’s kid, a coach’s grandson. He prepares tremendously. The thing that you’re seeing him do now is to truly let his leadership shine. He’s making those guys around him better. You see him getting the wideouts and the tight ends and the running backs saying, ‘We’re going to throw on Saturdays at this time and you have to be there. And we’re going to watch film at this time. You have to be there.’

“He’s always looking for ways to improve. That’s the one thing you appreciate about CJ Carr is, there is no finish line for him. That’s what I’m excited to see. It’s never going to be perfect. How do you handle the ups and downs of spring ball, of every practice? Because he’s a perfectionist. He wants to win everything he does. You know that’s never going to happen in spring. So I’m excited to watch the way he leads our offense each day and every rep he gets.”

— On3’s Nick Schultz contributed to this report.

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