SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Irish quarterback CJ Carr has been named to the 2026 Maxwell Award Watch List. The award is presented annually to the most outstanding player in college football, recognizing excellence on the field and exceptional contributions to the game.
Six Notre Dame players have won the Maxwell Award on seven occasions in its history: TE Leon Hart (1949), HB John Lattner (1952 and 1953), LB Jim Lynch (1966), DE Ross Browner (1977), QB Brady Quinn (2006) and LB Manti Te’o (2012).
Carr started all 12 games last year, finishing the season with 2,741 yards and 24 touchdowns. His 24 touchdowns were tied for the most passing touchdowns in a player’s first 12 career starts at Notre Dame since 1966. With Carr behind center last season, Notre Dame ranked second in the country in scoring offense (41.8).
The Saline, Michigan native threw a touchdown pass in all 12 games in 2025, the longest streak by an Irish quarterback since 2014. Carr totaled nine games with multiple touchdown throws a season ago while also rushing for three.
Among all returning Power 4 quarterbacks, Carr was first in yards per completion (14.06) and ranked second in yards per attempt (9.35) and touchdown rate (8.2%) last year.