Inside Notre Dame's program, quarterback CJ Carr inspires near reverence. Wide receiver Jaden Greathouse calls him "definitely elite," and wide receivers coach Mike Brown describes him as "really, really, really smart," adding, "The challenge for us in our room is we've got to match that." Offensive tackle Guerby Lambert said many coaches regard Carr as the best quarterback they have been around at getting into the right checks and calls.
Quarterback play has been a central piece of Notre Dame's 38-year national championship drought, and the Irish believe Carr is the player who can end it. Through eight games, he ranks eighth nationally in QBR with 18 touchdown passes, just one interception and a 66.7 percent completion rate. Since the start of the 2025 season, he has thrown 42 touchdowns against only seven interceptions.
Even so, Carr cannot carry Notre Dame to its first national title since 1988 alone. Around him is a supporting cast of less-decorated players: some young, some returning from injury, some with unusual backgrounds and some who have simply waited their turn. The group lacks a Jeremiah Smith or Malachi Toney caliber receiver, and apart from Carr, the program's biggest names, including All-America cornerback Leonard Moore and pass rusher Boubacar Traore, play defense. The answers about whether this offense is good enough should come Saturday, when No. 4 Notre Dame hosts top-ranked Miami at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC.
Carr's top target, Jordan Faison, originally came to South Bend to play lacrosse, winning two national titles before shifting his full focus to football in January. A former walk-on who broke out with 115 receiving yards and a touchdown in the 2023 Sun Bowl, Faison now leads the team in receiving for a second straight season and serves as a captain. "He's a dream to coach," Brown said. Faison shares leadership duties with Greathouse, who starred in the College Football Playoff two years ago with 13 catches, 233 yards and three touchdowns across the semifinal win over Penn State and the title game loss to Ohio State. A hamstring-thigh injury limited him to four receptions last season, but he has rebounded with 22 catches this fall.
A third option has emerged in Micah Gilbert, a 2024 SC Next 300 recruit who had nine receptions last year. Gilbert has posted multiple catches in all but one game this season, highlighted by an eight-catch, 170-yard performance against Michigan State, and is averaging 17.9 yards per reception. Depth remains a concern, however. Ohio State transfers Mylan Graham and Quincy Porter were added through the portal, but Porter has missed the entire season with knee problems and Graham has just five catches. In the Oct. 17 loss at BYU, Faison, Greathouse and Gilbert accounted for 235 snaps while no other receiver topped two. Sophomore Jerome Bettis Jr., son of the Notre Dame and NFL great, offered a lift Saturday against Navy with career highs of six receptions and 78 yards.
The backfield also had to be rebuilt after Jeremiyah Love, the No. 3 pick of the Arizona Cardinals, and Jadarian Price, the No. 32 pick of the Seattle Seahawks, became the first teammates ever selected as the first two running backs in an NFL draft in April. Sophomore Nolan James Jr., who had only 14 carries in 2025, leads the team with 519 rushing yards on 90 carries, including a career-long 52-yard touchdown run against Navy. Freshman Jonaz Walton, the nation's No. 14 running back recruit in the 2026 class, averages a team-best 6.9 yards per carry with a 97-yard touchdown against Stanford and consecutive 100-yard games, though he played only 10 snaps in the BYU loss.
Notre Dame could use more explosiveness, ranking tied for 108th nationally in runs of 10 yards or more with 30. The Irish are also tied for 80th in total explosive plays and tied for 42nd in red zone touchdown efficiency at 66.7 percent, after converting only two of five trips inside the 20 against BYU. "You've got to put points on the board," Faison said.
Carr eases much of that burden. "It takes a lot of pressure off the playcaller to be perfect with his play calls," coach Marcus Freeman said, noting that Carr usually makes the right decision distributing to his playmakers. Carr also works behind a veteran line featuring three players with at least 20 starts: guard Anthonie Knapp, center Ashton Craig and Lambert.
Miami arrives with the nation's No. 1 scoring offense at 47.6 points per game, though its defense has allowed 35 points in two of its last three outings. Notre Dame has scored 35 or more in six of eight games, and Carr may be the only national name on its offense entering Saturday. If the night goes well, that will change. "We can be the best in the country when we're all firing," Lambert said.
