SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Junior quarterback CJ Carr has been selected to the Top 15 for the 2026 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, which recognizes the nation’s top upperclassmen quarterback and honors on-field excellence alongside leadership qualities.
This season, Carr ranks among the top 15 in the country in multiple categories, including touchdown passes (13, tied for ninth), passer efficiency (185.0, eighth) and completion percentage (71.0, 15th). He has thrown for 1,197 yards against just one interception while adding three rushing touchdowns for 16 total scores through five games. Carr also owns a 92.4 PFF grade, which ranks fourth among FBS quarterbacks with multiple starts, while his 92.0 passing grade ranks third among FBS quarterbacks with at least 10 pass attempts this season.
In last week’s win over North Carolina, Carr scored a career-best five touchdowns, four through the air and one on the ground. His five total touchdowns were tied for the second-most by a Power Four quarterback in Week 5.
With his four touchdown passes last Saturday, Carr moved his career total to 37, just three behind Rick Mirer (1989-92), for ninth on Notre Dame’s career passing touchdowns list.
With Carr under center, Notre Dame has won 15 straight games, all by double digits. The win streak is the longest active double-digit win streak in the FBS and the longest in program history. The streak is also tied for the seventh-longest all-time in college football history and is the third-longest winning streak by a starting quarterback in Notre Dame history, trailing only Tony Rice (23) and Ian Book (16).
Carr and the Irish return to Notre Dame Stadium Saturday when they host Stanford at 3:30 p.m. on NBC.