Prominent NFL talking head confirms what Notre Dame fans already knew about an Irish breakout star who could break an ugly trend
Notre Dame starting quarterback CJ Carr is off to a fast start in 2025. Some notable people are already noticing, and a hype train is beginning.
Many expected Notre Dame redshirt freshman quarterback CJ Carr to have some tremendous moments during the 2025 college football season. Even the biggest Carr stans didn’t quite expect the talented signal-caller to be this good, at least this early in the season. The Michigan native is playing at a level Irish fans haven’t seen much of around South Bend.
After an elite performance against the Arkansas Razorbacks last weekend, Carr is putting together some outstanding production. In four games, Carr has thrown for 1,091 yards and nine touchdowns. He has also completed over 68 percent of his passes, added another score on the ground, and thrown just two interceptions.
In the last two weeks against the Razorbacks and the Purdue Boilermakers, Carr has begun to capture the attention of the national media. That includes ESPN NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky, who is an appreciator of good quarterback play due to his background as a former QB. Carr, a 6-3, 210-pound signal-caller, has clearly grabbed Orlovsky’s attention and impressed him.
During media availability in preparation for their game against the Fighting Irish, Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson voiced some high praise for Carr. That included Danielson’s prediction for Carr to break a rough stretch for the Notre Dame program.
“CJ is going to be a future first-round draft pick,” Danielson said. “I don’t think I’m the first one who will say that.”
In a tweet that showed Danielson’s commentary, Orlovsky chose to double down on the opinion. He agrees that Carr has the look of a future first-round NFL Draft selection.
Notre Dame’s fortunes
If Danielson and Orlovsky end up being right about Carr, he would end up breaking quite an unimpressive streak for the program. The Irish haven’t had a first-round selection at quarterback since Brady Quinn was picked by the Cleveland Browns with the No. 22 overall selection in the 2007 NFL Draft. Before Quinn, Rick Mirer was a first-rounder in the 1993 NFL Draft, the team’s previously top-drafted quarterback.
Since Quinn broke that streak nearly 20 years ago, Notre Dame has had just three quarterbacks selected. Jimmy Clausen and DeShone Kizer were second-round selections in their respective drafts, and Ian Book was a fourth-rounder a few years ago.
Needless to say, elite-level quarterback play has been an issue for Notre Dame for some time now. There seems to be hope that Carr will change that. It’s early, but some smart football people are beginning to jump on the bandwagon. If that bandwagon is proven correct, it could completely alter the fortunes of the Irish program for the long-term future.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish News
Unfortunate Notre Dame injury could end up being a blessing in disguise for the Fighting Irish defense in the long term
Notre Dame football has had a couple of tough injury breaks so far. A couple of them could end up being a blessing in disguise long term.
