Notre Dame announced that CJ Carr will take over as starting quarterback after Riley Leonard declared for the 2025 NFL Draft. The Fighting Irish are coming off a season that ended one game short of a National Championship, with their passing game limitations contributing to the loss against Ohio State.
The Athletic ranked Carr No. 49 overall in its “College Football 2025 Quarterback Tiers” for projected FBS starters, placing him in Tier 4.
Carr’s ranking ahead of several notable quarterbacks surprised many observers. He outranked Michigan’s Bryce Underwood, who was the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2024 class, along with Colorado’s Kaiton Salters and USC’s Jayden Maiava.
The first-year starter rarely sees rankings above a top overall recruit before taking snaps at the college level.
“Carr emerged as the leader in the QB competition coming out of spring practice,” The Athletic wrote. “He took only four snaps last season and didn’t attempt a pass as he recovered from an injury to his throwing elbow suffered during preseason camp. But in the Blue-Gold game, the former Elite 11 QB showed touch and accuracy on downfield throws and a good feel for the offense.”
Carr’s High School Background
The Saline High School graduate was a four-star recruit ranked No. 45 overall and sixth among quarterbacks by 247Sports in the 2024 class.
He completed 68 percent of his passes in his final high school season. Carr threw for 2,754 yards with 24 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
His elbow injury during preseason camp limited him to just four snaps last season without attempting a pass.
The spring Blue-Gold game marked his first extended action, where he demonstrated accuracy on downfield throws and comfort within the offensive system.
Notre Dame’s playoff hopes now rest on Carr’s development as a first-year starter. The program’s recent success under Marcus Freeman has raised expectations for continued competitiveness at the highest level.
Carr will need to address the passing game shortcomings that prevented the Fighting Irish from advancing past Ohio State in their championship run.
