CJ Carr is a redshirt sophomore, which means the 2026 season is the first that makes him eligible for the NFL Draft: he will be three years removed from his 2023 high school class when the 2027 draft arrives. Most early boards have him as a first round quarterback in a class that also includes Dante Moore, Arch Manning, Darian Mensah and Julian Sayin, and the question is not whether he can go early but whether he goes at all after one more year.
| Measurables | 6 foot 2, 215 pounds (Notre Dame listing); some draft services list him closer to 200 |
| 2025 production | 2,741 yards, 24 TD, 6 INT, 66.6 percent, 9.4 yards per attempt (2nd nationally), 168.1 rating (school record) |
| Strengths | Processing and anticipation, a compact and repeatable release, ball placement on back shoulder and out breaking throws, willingness to attack downfield |
| Questions | Arm strength and frame are average rather than elite; accuracy fluctuated game to game in 2025; limited as a runner (33 rushing yards) |
| Bloodlines | Grandson of Lloyd Carr; father Jason played at Michigan |
Where He Fits in the 2027 Class
Dante Moore turned down a likely first round pick to return to Oregon and is the early market choice for the top quarterback. Arch Manning was also eligible in 2026 and stayed. Mensah and Sayin are in the same age group. Carr’s edge over that group is the cleanest tape of the bunch relative to his age; his disadvantage is that he is not the biggest or the fastest and a 2026 dip would be read as a ceiling rather than a slump. Fernando Mendoza going No. 1 out of Indiana in April after a Heisman season is the template every one of them is chasing.
Declare or Stay?
Two things point toward staying: he has only one full season as a starter, and Notre Dame is built to contend again in 2027. Two things point toward leaving: quarterbacks who post a second efficient season rarely get a better draft position by returning, and his NIL income (about $3 million a year in valuation) lowers the financial pressure either way, which cuts in both directions. The honest read: a top five finish and a playoff run in 2026 make January 2027 his likely exit; anything less and a 2027 return is realistic.
Key Dates
| Sept. 6 | Wisconsin at Lambeau, his first 2026 tape |
| Nov. 7 | Miami and Darian Mensah, the head to head scouts will circle |
| Jan. 2027 | Underclassman declaration deadline after the title game |
| April 2027 | 2027 NFL Draft |
The Bottom Line
CJ Carr is first eligible for the 2027 NFL Draft and is projected as a Day 1 quarterback by most early boards, in a class headlined by Dante Moore and Arch Manning. Whether he declares after 2026 depends on a second season that matches his first. Profile: CJ Carr. Price: CJ Carr Heisman odds. Money: CJ Carr NIL.