Notre Dame QB CJ Carr Named One of ESPN's 5 Most Important College Football Players for 2025

The moral of the story is this: the Fighting Irish’s hopes of returning to the national title game, and, ideally, winning it, rest almost entirely on the shoulders of whoever winds up under center in Notre Dame’s opener against Miami.

For the most part, coach Marcus Freeman knows what he’s getting out of the rest of his crew.

He knows he can lean on lead back Jeremiyah Love – who was recently named to a prestigious watch list – when necessary. Freeman knows he has arguably the nation’s best secondary, led by uber-talented returning cornerbacks Leonard Moore and Christian Gray (more on them later). But does Freeman know what he’s getting out of his starting quarterback? Well, given he doesn’t even know who that is just yet, the answer is a hard no. 

As Connelly points out, ND made a CFP run despite relying on quick-hitters through the air and late-down QB keepers with Riley Leonard. Can a pro-style QB such as Carr (or Minchey, if he wins the job) elevate Notre Dame to a new level? One can only wait and watch. 

But, according to Connelly, Carr (and ND’s overall QB situation) isn’t the only “important” factor in the Fighting Irish’s 2025 outlook. Both parts of Notre Dame’s dynamic duo at the third level of its defense were named in Connelly’s top 40. 

Leonard Moore and Christian Gray

After star defensive back Benjamin Morrison fell out of the lineup due to injury, Moore (a true freshman last season) and Gray (a sophomore in 2024) came to the rescue, and Connelly summed up their overall impact in simple words:

“It was honestly incredible.”

Moore forced two fumbles, had two interceptions and 11 pass breakups, while Gray accounted for one forced fumble, three interceptions and nine pass breakups in 2024.

Although those were memorable campaigns, Connelly couldn’t help but bring up the unthinkable:

“Just imagine if even just one of these two hasn’t reached his ceiling.”