Noah Grubbs didn’t need long to get his first taste of college football.
Notre Dame had already buried Rice 49-0 when the freshman quarterback came on for CJ Carr at the 9:22 mark of the third quarter on Saturday, Sept. 12. For a backup room that entered the 2026 season with no college snaps at all, it was a small but meaningful step.
Grubbs, a Lake Mary, FL, native, arrived with some built-in intrigue. He checks in at 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds, the same exact size as fellow first-year quarterback Teddy Jarrard. Carr is listed at 6-2 and 215 pounds, while second-year quarterback Blake Hebert is listed at 6-2 and 216.
The freshman also got to campus early, and that mattered. Grubbs was one of Notre Dame’s school-record 24 January enrollees, giving him time to learn the offense, settle into classes and take part in spring practice.
He made the most of those reps in the spring game, finishing 7-for-14 for 64 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
There’s also a trait Notre Dame likes plenty: Grubbs brings a strong arm and isn’t shy about using it. Quarterbacks coach Gino Guidugli said in the spring that the freshman reminds him of a young Carr.
“CJ was the same way as a freshman,” Guidugli said in the spring. “I think you want a guy that's going to do that as opposed to someone that's going to go the other way and not trust it.
… He has that mindset. I think he wants to be great.”
In Other News...
Notre Dame Is Suddenly In The No. 1 Debate After Week 2
Week 2 brought the kind of shakeup that can turn a routine early-season ranking into a national argument, and Notre Dame found itself right in the middle of it. Texas pulled off the biggest result of the weekend by beating No. 1 Ohio State late, while other contenders around the top of the AP poll also stumbled, creating the kind of opening that forces voters to rethink the entire order.
For Notre Dame, the conversation is less about simply moving up and more about how high the Irish can climb in a crowded field that also includes Georgia. With Oregon and Oklahoma taking losses that could send them sliding, the top of the poll is suddenly crowded with possibilities, and Notre Dame has done enough early to stay in the mix as the new rankings start to take shape. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dame Finally Looked Like The Team Fans Were Waiting For
After a season opener that left Notre Dame searching for a cleaner rhythm, the home opener brought the kind of performance fans had been waiting to see. The Irish overwhelmed Rice 52-0 with a fast, efficient start and never let the game drift out of their control, getting big contributions on both sides of the ball as the offense moved with purpose and the defense kept the shutout intact.
CJ Carr settled in immediately and looked comfortable directing the attack, while safety Adon Shuler and wide receiver Jordan Faison added to a night that felt complete from the start. For Notre Dame, it was the sort of lopsided win that does more than pad a scoreline, it offers a clearer sense of what this team can look like when the pieces are working together. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dame Just Delivered The Kind Of Blowout Irish Fans Crave
Notre Dame gave its home crowd exactly the kind of afternoon it had been waiting for on Sept. 12 at Notre Dame Stadium, rolling past Rice 52-0 in a game that never felt close. The Irish spread the scoring around, with touchdowns from Boubacar Traore, CJ Carr and Nolan James Jr., plus a field goal from Spencer Porath, while the defense kept Rice off the board all day.
Boubacar Traore helped set the tone early, and Notre Dame kept widening the gap as the game wore on, with Carr directing an offense that stayed aggressive even after the outcome was well in hand. For Irish fans, the shutout mattered as much as the margin because it looked like a clean, complete performance in every phase, the sort of showing that can leave bigger questions waiting for the next week. [Read more 🡒]