The CJ Carr era is here.
Notre Dame announced the redshirt freshman quarterback as its starter and now the program will build behind Carr.
Trust is always a deciding factor in quarterback battles and Carr believes he and the offense have the trust of offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock.
“I think the big point of emphasis was just building trust before we continue to fix plays that we might see an issue with, or might see the defenses react in a certain way to a play we have called,” explained Carr. “I think having Denbrock’s trust that we’re going to make the right play, we’re gonna be smart with the football, we’re gonna keep the offense rolling.
“We gotta come out every day and continue to build trust with (Denbrock) and Gino. And just continue to get better.”
Denbrock has seen the good and bad from Carr and Kenny Minchey during camp, but the ability to reload was likely a deciding factor.
It was especially important for Carr to prove he could move on from mistakes, as he has yet to throw a pass in a collegiate game.
‘I’d go back to both of them, because they both had their moments of catastrophic decision-making,” stated Denbrock after the second practice of training camp. “But I think what you saw was a resiliency that you love in a quarterback, where maybe the next play or two plays down the road, they bounced back and made an explosive pass or made a good read or jumped right back into the fray and made good decisions.”
The Irish offense is expected to take a major leap in 2025 and it’s not solely due to the quarterback position. Carr believes the entire offense is in a strong position to ascend as it’s the second year under Denbrock.
“I think we are much further along in our offensive scheme than we were last year,” stated Carr. “I think that’s because of the spring, second year in the offense obviously, but the spring was a big period for us and then this summer we got to come out here every other day and just work with the players, no coaches, no yelling in the back of your ears, the receivers could play free and we could just test some things out.”
Carr’s leadership will also be counted on to led a team that made the National Title game a year ago.
The last seven months have been crucial for the entire room to get out of Riley Leonard’s shadow and put their own twists on the offense and leadership roles.
“I think it’s been good for both Kenny and I to get in and lead and make the offense our own,” explained Carr. “We’re not the same player Riley was, for good and for bad. We have to continue to take what he gave us with leadership and how to play the game, and then also build upon what he brought as the foundation.”
Carr’s family background has built him for this moment, but he also has former Notre Dame quarterback Ian Book available as a resource. The two have formed a close relationship over the last few years as they train with Will Hewlett, who is based in Jacksonville.
Book, who now lives in South Bend, has also had conversations with Carr about what it takes to be the quarterback at Notre Dame, which the Michigan legacy believes is an advantage.
“I think that’s something not a lot of people understand, is what it’s like to be a quarterback at Notre Dame, especially in a quarterback battle,” Carr said. “Ian had talked about that and he’s been in that. He’s gone through the ups and downs of that. I think it’s been just a helpful resource.
“He’s done it. He has no bias towards anyone. He wants to come in and just help Notre Dame as a whole, just like a lot of the coaches and players here. He’s done it before, it’s exciting to have him around.”
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