The Case for CJ Carr to Start for Notre Dame Against Purdue

Really? Should CJ Carr be the one to lead the Notre Dame offense against Purdue?

Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr throws the ball during a Notre Dame football practice at Irish Athletic Center on Wednesday, July 31, 2024, in South Bend. / MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK

Saturday was as bad as it gets.

In my 24 years of watching Notre Dame football that is the worst loss I have ever witnessed and the worst many Irish fans have ever seen.

Losing to a MAC school is never acceptable, especially when you are A TOP 5 TEAM IN THE NATION IN YOUR HOME OPENER.

Of course, whenever a team suffers a loss like this, the quarterback and head coach are always the first to catch the blame. In this scenario, it's fitting.

Riley Leonard could not have played much worse on Saturday against NIU. His seeming inability to throw the ball, a huge part of being a quarterback, is shocking.

Both Texas A&M and NIU have been able to stack the box against Notre Dame and stop the run because neither was afraid of getting beat through the air by the Irish quarterback.

Whether Leonard is seeing ghosts, is being instructed to not throw it deep, or somewhere in-between, the offense is an absolute MESS right now. Notre Dame is one of four teams in college football without a passing touchdown through two weeks. Just a mindboggling stat.

I still don't get it. The formation gets Beaux Collins and Mitchell Evans to the same side and the route concept gets Jaden Greathouse there, too. One of those three will come open against zone. It's Greathouse. And it's Evans. Instead, the ball goes to Kris Mitchell. pic.twitter.com/Qvgcfnxuhf

— Pete Sampson (@PeteSampson_) September 8, 2024

The above throw is the one that ultimately cost the Irish the game.

It was Leonard's second interception of the day, on a throw that never had a chance. Looking at Leonard's technique and body language when he lets it rip, it never had a chance, and then you see when the ball is 15 yards short of the intended target, #10 Kris Mitchell, and it gets even worse.

Notre Dame has attempted just two passes of over 20 yards through two games and neither were completed.

That leads to multiple questions, of which we don't truly have the answers to.

- Is Leonard capable of throwing the ball downfield?
- Is Leonard being instructed not to throw the ball downfield?
- Are the receivers not getting enough separation?

We all told ourselves when Leonard didn't even try to throw it deep against A&M that it was part of the gameplan and there was no need to stretch the field and risk interceptions against a team of that caliber. Maybe that was the case, but against NIU?! You STILL can't throw the ball deep against a MAC team?

Maybe it's time for a change. Enter true freshman CJ Carr.

The highly-touted four-star recruit from Michigan has been a huge talking point since he hit campus during bowl prep last season and from the snippets we have seen of him - he is the real deal.

Beat reporters have heralded the way the ball 'explodes' out of his hand and how accurate he is as a thrower. Sure there is a ton of season left but Leonard looks BAD. Why not give the keys to CJ and see what he can do?

The last multiple year starter Notre Dame had at quarterback was Ian Book, who ended up going down as the winningest signal-caller in Irish history.

Notre Dame has gone after transfer portal stop-gap quarterbacks over and over again, with none of them reaching the heights and expectations that fans and media alike placed upon them.

Jack Coan was a statue in the backfield behind an awful offensive line in 2021. He could sling it but rarely had time to. Buchner/Pyne in 2022 was a mess. 2023 with Hartman was a letdown. 2024 with Leonard is trending the same way.

In no way am I saying throw away the season and start working for next season, but with the way the Irish offense is so one-dimensional at the moment, CJ could be the best option possible for this offense. Opponents are stacking the box and daring Leonard to beat them with his arm, which he has not been able to do.

This touchdown pass from CJ Carr to Cam Williams is absolute flames pic.twitter.com/ZRXkNsr6nx

— Greg Flammang (@greg2126) April 14, 2024

Many will say that Angeli or Minchey should be given a shot and that is not a bad idea by any means.

I'm just a guy that wants the upside play. We know what Angeli is. There was rumors that Carr had already beat out Minchey during the spring for the QB3 job.

Roll with the guy that gives you the most upside and can lead this program to big things over the next 3-4 seasons.

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