South Bend, Indiana is envisioning a celebration parade for Notre Dame football in 2026. The Fighting Irish catapulted themselves back into the national title game picture last season. And now will enter 2025 hearing championship hype.
This version of the Irish will be without Riley Leonard behind center. Notre Dame also lost top defensive backs Ben Morrison and Xavier Watts.
But ND isn’t rebuilding. Not after reeling in the nation’s No. 12 ranked class for 2025 on the college football recruiting trail. Meanwhile, head coach Marcus Freeman is already reflecting back on the Ohio State loss for the title. Fueling his motivation for ’25.
Is this a national championship contender? Even with OSU reloading and Texas envisioning a deeper run? Time for some way-too-early predictions for ND. Including who becomes Leonard’s full-time replacement.
Notre Dame will ride CJ Carr for a full season
MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Carr missed 2024 with an elbow ailment. But he’s since cementing his case as QB1 post Leonard.
Kenny Minchey delivered his push during the spring session. But Carr totaled 170 passing yards and tossed two touchdowns in the spring game.
Carr is more cerebral compared to Leonard. He once got compared to Mac Jones while Carr navigated through his recruiting process. He’s more limited on the mobility side, though, compared to his predecessor.
But Carr should be given the greenlight to adjust at the line of scrimmage. Minchey could still see action thanks to his athleticism. But the chatter post spring ball is that Carr developed into the accurate thrower. That’s enough to earn him QB1.
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Source link : https://clutchpoints.com/ncaa-football/notre-dame-football-way-too-early-bold-predictions-for-2025-season
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Publish date : 2025-07-04 00:42:00
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