In Week 10 against Boston College, 20-year-old redshirt freshman CJ Carr lit up the field, throwing 18 of 25 passes for 299 yards to lead the Irish to a 25-10 win. He’s been stacking moments like this before, and Irish HC Marcus Freeman didn’t hold back in praising him. He earned words like “competitor,” “rare trait,” and “great talent.” When asked how he feels about playing under Freeman, Carr didn’t bother about all the hate his HC is receiving. He expressed his honest feelings about Freeman.

On Wednesday’s appearance on ESPN College Football Live, Carr credited Freeman’s leadership for giving him the freedom to grow to be young but play like a seasoned vet. “It doesn’t feel hard to balance,” stated Carr. “You’re in the facility every day with your best friends, playing the sport you love. It doesn’t feel like a job. No extra pressure.” Then Carr expressed his gratitude for having this opportunity.

The QB claimed that he was blessed to be surrounded by the best players and being coached by some of the best coaches inside the best facility. Freeman has been a Head Coach for over 15 years and four of them have been at Notre Dame.

Joining in 2021, Freeman has not only been recognized with awards but also brought serious talent. This season, Notre Dame has players like WR Malachi Fields, DL Christopher Burgess Jr., TE Ty Washington, and many more. Besides, he’s strengthened the staff too, adding Chris Ash as DC and Ja’Juan Seider as RBs coach. Now, while Carr feels blessed to wear the gold helmet, he gives his best back to the program.

The Notre Dame QB has stormed onto the CFB scene in his freshman season, earning a spot as a semifinalist for the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award. But that’s not all, as he’s also part of the Manning Award Watch List. So far this season, he has thrown for 2,057 yards with 16 TDs, leading all freshmen in passing efficiency.

Under his command, the Irish sit among the nation’s best, ranking 14th nationally with 463.8 YPG. Still, Carr’s signature performance came in a 56–13 rout of Arkansas, where he recorded 294 yards in the first half, the most by an Irish QB since 2008. But despite the players and coaches showing their potential, Notre Dame’s CFP ranking didn’t spare them from backlash.

Notre Dame faces CFB heat under Marcus Freeman

On Tuesday, the CFP committee dropped its first rankings of the season, and Marcus Freeman’s program’s spot stirred immediate debate. They are placed at No. 10, which sets them ahead of teams like Oklahoma and Texas. But which grabbed more attention? They placed ahead of even Miami. Even though they lost to Miami in Week 1.

Although they sit with a 6-2 overall record. With their current CFP ranking, the CFB world didn’t buy it. On3’s Ari Wasserman tweeted, “Notre Dame is ranked ahead of Texas and Oklahoma… I think this year’s Notre Dame team is the most mis-ranked team I’ve ever seen in the initial CFP Poll in a decade.”

Others questioned the committee’s logic, saying, “Notre Dame has played 3 ranked teams and lost to 2 of them… crazy!!!!” and “Somebody explain to me how Notre Dame is number 10?! They have 2 losses, their best win is USC. I’m so confused.”

Whether justified or not, the Irish ranking has already sparked one of the season’s first major CFP debates, and one fan summed it up bluntly, stating, “Notre Dame makes zero sense at all. There’s 5-7 teams I would have ahead of them.” Now we will see how Marcus Freeman handles all this noise and makes his way steadily to carve a CFP path.