Joel Klatt defends CJ Carr, claims he is not the problem for Notre Dame

CJ Carr has been a mixed bag at quarterback for Notre Dame in 2025. FOX Sports analyst Joel Klatt, though, believes he deserves more credit than he’s getting.

Klatt defended Carr from the criticism that’s piled up during the Fighting Irish’s 0-2 start. He doesn’t believe the quarterback is the problem, and when you look at the bigger picture, it’s tough to argue with him.

“Notre Dame is still a very good football team. They just happened to get beat by two better football teams. So what’s the challenge? What’s the problem? What’s going on with Notre Dame? Can I say that I don’t think CJ Carr and the offense are the problem?” Klatt started, via The Joel Klatt Show. “Now, I know what you’re going to say, ‘Joel, you can’t have big interceptions at crucial moments from your quarterback and win close football games,’ and I agree. I totally agree with that sentiment.

“Has Carr turned the ball over at critical times? Yeah. In both of those games—he threw interceptions against Miami and one against Texas A&M. But the offense moved the ball. They scored 40 points. I mean, they were a dropped extra point away from overtime in this game, which was an absolute shootout, particularly in the second quarter.”

So far, Klatt likes what he’s seen from Carr, believing he’s developing right in front of our eyes. Notre Dame has had two close losses, but the FOX Sports analyst believes they’ll be just fine moving forward.

“Carr is 20-of-32 for 293 yards and a touchdown, but he has that interception. Does he need to clean that up? Yes. Now, it’s his second start, so I think some grace is probably warranted because you see a lot of good things. I thought their passing game was better in this matchup than in Week 1. You see development. You also saw them change,” Klatt added.

“What I thought was a mistake in Week 1 from a game-plan perspective was not getting the ball to Jeremiah Love. I thought Love was tremendous—27 touches, 147 yards, and 2 touchdowns. They were tough yards at times. But he’s so dynamic.

“I don’t think they’re going to need to get him 27 touches against everybody. But if you run the offense through Love, it takes some of that pressure off CJ Carr. And I think they should be fine. Again, they scored 40 points against A&M in this game. So is it an offensive problem? No, not really. Clean up some of those turnovers, and I think you’re going to be just fine.”

Notre Dame will have a shot at getting their first win with Carr as their quarterback this weekend against Purdue. It’s a bit of a different opponent for the Fighting Irish, and a victory could send them on the path to redemption.