CBS Ranks Notre Dame QB CJ Carr as Top Returning QB in 2026

The Irish second-year starter had a monster redshirt freshman season, passing for 2,741-yards with 24 touchdowns and just six interceptions.

Feb. 25, 2026 at 10:19pm

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CBS Sports' Tom Fornelli ranked the top-10 returning quarterbacks in college football for the 2026 season, and he has Notre Dame's CJ Carr at the top of his list. Carr had a standout redshirt freshman campaign, passing for 2,741 yards with 24 touchdowns and just 6 interceptions, while also rushing for 3 scores. Fornelli believes Carr's experience and impressive stats make him the top returning QB in the country.

Why it matters

CJ Carr's high ranking by CBS Sports highlights the rising star power of the Notre Dame quarterback, who is expected to be one of the top players at his position in the 2026 season. As the leader of the Fighting Irish offense, Carr's continued development and performance will be crucial to Notre Dame's success next year.

The details

Carr completed 66.6% of his 293 pass attempts in 2025, showcasing his accuracy and efficiency as a passer. In a head-to-head matchup against Texas' Arch Manning, another highly touted QB, Carr outperformed Manning, throwing for 293 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception compared to Manning's 179 yards and 1 touchdown.

  • CJ Carr had a monster redshirt freshman season in 2025.

The players

CJ Carr

The starting quarterback for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Carr had a breakout redshirt freshman season in 2025, passing for 2,741 yards and 24 touchdowns.

Arch Manning

The starting quarterback for the Texas Longhorns, Manning was ranked behind Carr on CBS Sports' list of top returning quarterbacks for 2026.

Tom Fornelli

A CBS Sports writer who ranked the top-10 returning quarterbacks in college football for the 2026 season, placing Notre Dame's CJ Carr at #1 on the list.

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What they’re saying

“There have been plenty of top lists that have been released since Notre Dame football's season concluded and another was dropped on Wednesday afternoon.”

— Michael Chen, Author (yahoo.com)

The takeaway

CJ Carr's top ranking among returning quarterbacks by a prominent media outlet like CBS Sports underscores his rising star power and the high expectations surrounding the Notre Dame signal-caller heading into the 2026 season. As the leader of the Fighting Irish offense, Carr's continued development and performance will be crucial to the team's success next year.