Notre Dame’s C.J. Carr was one of the most efficient passers in the country last season.

The then first-year starting quarterback completed 66.6% of his passes with 24 touchdowns against just six interceptions, and he made NFL scouts take notice that he was a legitimate pro prospect.

Opposing coaches also caught on that Carr could be a problem to play against in 2026, and according to ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg, one coach who faced Carr last season recently admitted that the sophomore signal-caller could be a future NFL starter.

“He was good,” an anonymous coach who played against Carr last year said. “He made some big-time throws against us that I was like, ‘OK, that's an NFL arm.’ I was more impressed with Jeremiyah Love, but he was poised.

“We tried to do some things to throw him off, and he was just smart. Like, for a younger player, smart, made some really good decisions, was never flustered. His future is super bright.”

The buzz around Carr is that he could sneak into the first round of the 2027 NFL draft with another strong season in 2026.

But given he’s just a sophomore — and that Notre Dame could compete for national championships for the next few years — there’s no pressure on Carr to actually leave school early unless the allure of playing in the NFL is just too tempting to pass up.

Carr was recently named as one of the five best prospects for the 2027 NFL draft by ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr., so if he realistically is a top-five or top-10 prospect, it’s possible Irish fans only have one more year with him.

The 21-year-old QB is generating a lot of Heisman hype this offseason, and most expect an even better year out of him after leading the Fighting Irish to a 10-2 record last season and just narrowly missing out on the College Football Playoff.