Before CJ Carr even takes a snap in his second season as Notre Dame’s starting quarterback, the draft chatter has already started to build around him. A number of analysts are projecting him as a first-round pick in next spring’s NFL Draft, and if he chooses to turn pro after the season, plenty of teams are expected to take a long look.
One of the clubs being mentioned is Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers, as the reporting goes, need a “quarterback of the future” for the day Baker Mayfield is ready to move on, and Carr has surfaced as a possible fit.
That interest comes with a bigger wrinkle: the 2027 quarterback class could be loaded. Much deeper than 2026, in fact. If Carr enters the mix, some analysts believe the group could include Dante Moore (Oregon), Arch Manning (Texas), Julian Sayin (Ohio State), Drew Mestemaker (Oklahoma State), Carr, Sam Leavitt (LSU), Darian Mensah (Miami), Trinidad Chambliss (Ole Miss), and LaNoris Sellers (South Carolina), with the potential to set a new record for first-round quarterbacks taken.
“With the future of starting quarterback Baker Mayfield up in the air in the final year of his 3-year, $100 million contract, and with a possible quarterback class for the ages coming up in the 2027 NFL draft, there is a lot of work to do,” Tony Adame of The Heavy wrote.
Adame also pointed to Carr as a player the Buccaneers could examine closely. The fit is easy enough to see on paper: Carr’s game is said to resemble Mayfield’s because he has a strong, accurate arm and can run, even if he doesn’t lean on his legs to pick up yards or first downs.
Fox Sports reporter Greg Auman also thinks Tampa Bay has to be in the conversation for a first-round quarterback.
“Baker Mayfield is a free agent after this season, but it’s still likely the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will give him a lucrative extension after three solid seasons taking over for Tom Brady,” Auman wrote. “If they don’t, there’s no heir apparent on the current roster, so they’d be on this list, though they’ve had good luck in the last two veterans they’ve found in free agency. They’ve drafted only one quarterback (Kyle Trask) in the last decade.”
From Notre Dame’s side, Carr checks a lot of boxes as an “heir apparent” type of prospect. He would enter 2026 as a redshirt sophomore, which means he’d still be young, and the idea of spending a year learning in the NFL could make sense.
Of course, the whole thing still has plenty of moving parts. Carr would have to decide to leave, and Tampa Bay would have to decide that using its top pick on a quarterback who might not start until at least 2028 is the right play.
That’s a lot to line up. Still, the idea of CJ Carr winding up in Tampa is not hard to picture.
In Other News...
Notre Dame Legacy Family Just Sent Marcus Freeman A Powerful Message
Marcus Freemans staying power at Notre Dame has become its own story as the buzz around him has grown, and one familiar Irish voice recently offered a reminder of why that matters. On a podcast, former Notre Dame and NFL running back Julius Jones said Freemans work with young players and college students stands out in a way that made him comfortable with his sons choosing the Irish, a nod to the developmental pull Freeman has built in South Bend.
Jones also touched on the kind of chatter that follows a coach with Freemans profile, including the negative recruiting that comes with rumors about bigger jobs and NFL possibilities. For Notre Dame, the message from a legacy family carried extra weight: Freeman is not just winning games and headlines, but making enough of an impression on families that they believe in what he is building long term. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dame Just Got Shut Out Of A QB Race That Mattered
Notre Dame already has its 2028 quarterback commitment in Trey Tagliaferri, but the Fighting Irish took a hit in another high-profile QB pursuit when Kingston Preyear trimmed his list and moved on from South Bend. Preyear is one of the more coveted passers in the class, and his recruitment had been one worth watching for Notre Dame as it tried to stay in the mix with the nations top programs.
Preyear is now down to Alabama, Florida and Vanderbilt, with a decision expected on July 10. Even with Tagliaferri on board, missing out here serves as a reminder that the Irish will keep running into heavy competition for elite quarterback talent, especially when a prospect has the kind of profile that draws national attention early in the process. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dame Has One Massive Question Around Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa
Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa gave Notre Dame exactly the kind of sophomore jump the defense needed, turning himself into one of the more reliable playmakers on the field while showing real growth in both range and recognition. His season was built on impact plays all over the front and second level, the kind of production that made it easy to see why the Irish view him as such a central piece moving forward.
The bigger question now is less about what he can be than how quickly he gets back to that level after the knee injury that interrupted his year. Notre Dames defense is built around players like Viliamu-Asa who can process things fast and finish plays, and if hes fully right again, his next step could be the one that defines both the Irish defense and his long-term ceiling. [Read more 🡒]