After Notre Dame’s controversial College Football Playoff snub and the NFL Draft departures of Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price, FOX Sports analyst Joel Klatt’s offseason ranking of quarterback CJ Carr at No. 5 in the nation has amplified the attention around
Notre Dame came that close to the College Football Playoff last year—and the way it slipped still hangs in the program’s air.
The Irish were the first team left out despite dropping their first two games of the year and then winning the final 10. It wasn’t enough. Now, as the focus turns to getting back to the postseason in 2026, the pressure isn’t theoretical. It’s sitting on the depth chart.
Jeremiyah Love is gone after declaring for the NFL Draft, where he was selected No. 3 overall by the Arizona Cardinals. Jadarian Price has also left, removing two of the clearest ball-carriers the offense could lean on. That means a heavier load falls on quarterback CJ Carr.
Carr proved he could handle it early. As a redshirt freshman, he showed enough to be ready to run the offense in his second year as a starter. And that readiness is being noticed beyond South Bend.
In his offseason rankings of the top 10 quarterbacks in the nation. FOX Sports college football analyst Joel Klatt placed Carr at No. 5. For a program rebuilding around a quarterback. a ranking like that lands like more than a talking point—it turns into momentum when fans and evaluators are scanning who might be the next star to move toward the NFL.
What carries the credibility is what Carr did last season. He completed 66.6% of his passes for 2,741 yards and 24 touchdowns with just six interceptions. Those numbers set a high bar, especially as the offense is expected to be more pass-happy this season. The Michigan native has the talent to carry that shift. but the program will still need the production to match the expectations.
Klatt’s ranking arrives at the same time as the NFL Draft buzz that Carr has been drawing heading into the 2026 season. Arch Manning and Dante Moore are the consensus top two quarterbacks in the class. but there are plenty of other first-round-caliber signal-callers in college football this season. Some evaluators have even gone as far as ranking Carr as the best of the rest—placing him in the conversation to make the top 10 next spring.
The storyline inside all those rankings is simple: Notre Dame’s path back to the postseason in 2026 now runs through Carr. With Carr getting national attention at No. 5 in the country and with the rushing roles reshaped by the departures of Love and Price. the fall becomes the place where the promise has to turn into results.
Carr will have to prove it on the field this fall. Still, the foundation is already there—2025’s production, the confidence shown by taking over as a starter, and an offseason ranking that’s only adding fuel to the NFL conversation as Notre Dame prepares to take another shot at the playoff.
Notre Dame CJ Carr Joel Klatt NFL Draft buzz Jeremiyah Love Arizona Cardinals Jadarian Price College Football Playoff 2025 2026 season quarterback rankings
No. 5 qb ranking?? That’s crazy already.
I don’t get it, they lost two games and still won like 10 straight and somehow didn’t make the playoff?? Feels rigged. Also losing those two guys means QB has to carry it I guess.
Wait so the Arizona Cardinals picked Love #3 overall right? So Notre Dame basically just farmed talent and then gets punished for it? I mean 24 TD and only 6 INT sounds good but rankings are always fake until he does it vs SEC teams.
Notre Dame was “close” last year but then not close enough… ok. I swear they always do this like hype up the QB and then the playcalling falls apart. If Carr is at No. 5 then why does it feel like they’re behind already? Plus why would you leave your offense without your best ball-carriers, doesn’t make sense to me.