Michigan Sports

Irish QB Carr ignores hype on social media

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr spent the summer playing ping-pong and golf, hanging out with teammates and, of course, refining his football skills.

He was too busy competing to pay attention to what everyone else was saying -- that he could be a Heisman Trophy candidate and that the fourth-ranked Fighting Irish could end their national championship drought.

“I think 90% of that’s coming from social media,” Carr said. “That’s where 80% of the noise comes from, and then you’ll have your mom calling you on a Saturday like, ‘Did you see this?’ And it’s like, ‘Alright, relax.’ If you delete the noise, then it’s not there anymore.”

But when you’re the starting quarterback at a storied program, high expectations are just part of the job. And in today’s college world, returning for the second year as the starter means it’s virtually impossible not to be mentioned in those conversations, especially after the kind of season Carr had in 2025.

The 6-foot-2, 215-pound junior started all 12 games and threw at least one touchdown pass in each one. And though he was far from perfect, he steadied the ship following an 0-2 start with 10 straight wins while leading an offense that finished second in the Bowl Subdivision in scoring (41.8 points). Carr threw for 2,741 yards and 24 touchdowns, dominating Arkansas by throwing for 354 yards and four TDs.

Carr understands football better than most. His father, Jason, played football at Michigan and his grandfather, Lloyd, was Michigan’s longtime head coach who led the Wolverines to the 1997 national championship.

Lloyd Carr also played a year of football at Northern Michigan University in 1967 while pursuing his master’s degree and led the Wildcats to an undefeated season as their starting quarterback.

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman believes Carr’s lineage gives him a leg up on the competition.

“He’s almost like a version of a coordinator on the field,” Freeman said. “The coach-to-player communication cuts off in 15 seconds, and he’s able to see a defense and anticipate what the defense is going to be and put our offense in a position to not have a negative play. That’s more important, probably, than the explosive plays.”