CJ Carr Named to Manning Award Watch List Ahead of Notre Dame's Season Opener
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CJ Carr and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are less than two weeks away from their opening game against the Wisconsin Badgers, with the game being held at the iconic Lambeau Field. Head coach Marcus Freeman enters his fifth year as the head coach, amassing a 38-10 record and a 5-2 bowl record, including a championship game appearance in which the Irish lost 34-23 to the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Carr and the Irish are coming off a 10-2 season in which they controversially missed the CFB playoffs. The Michigan native played strong in his first year starting for the Irish, throwing for 24 touchdowns and 2,741 yards on a 66.6% completion percentage with only six interceptions on 293 attempts.
In an offseason in which the Saline High School graduate has been named a betting-odds favorite for the 2026 Heisman Trophy and was named the 2026 Manning Passing Academy MVP by The Ringer’s Todd McShay, the 6-foot-2 quarterback once again received preseason honors, as Carr was named to the 2026 Manning Award Watch List.
Forty quarterbacks nationally were added to the watch list. Wisconsin Badgers quarterback Colton Joseph, BYU Cougars’ Bear Bachmeier, Miami Hurricanes’ Darian Mensah and SMU Mustangs’ Kevin Jennings are opposing quarterbacks the Fighting Irish will face this year.
“The best quarterback in college football 🙌,” Notre Dame wrote on Instagram. “CJ Carr has been named to the Manning Award Watch List. #GoIrish☘️”
Notre Dame will open the 2026 college football regular season with a Shamrock Series game against Wisconsin at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin, at 7:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, Sept. 6, with coverage on NBC and Peacock.
Related: Arch Manning Heisman Update Emerges Before Fourth Texas Season
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Aug 24, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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