The Notre Dame football season is a few days away from starting with their Week 1 game against the Wisconsin Badgers on Sept. 6 at Lambeau Field. Moreover, the hype regarding CJ Carr’s campaign to win the Heisman Trophy is also underway.
Last season, Carr posted a passer rating of 168.1 with 2,741 yards, 24 touchdowns, and six interceptions in 12 regular-season games, per StatMuse. Furthermore, the Notre Dame star also recorded 9.4 yards per pass and averaged 228.4 passing yards per game.
Carr will be looking to improve on these numbers to put himself in the Heisman Trophy conversation and help the Fighting Irish get back into the College Football Playoff. Nonetheless, Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman doesn’t want his QB to be looking too far down the road.
“I think my job is to continuously remind him of where his focus should be and that winning the Heisman is a reflection of a lot of different things,” Freeman said during an Aug. 31 appearance on “The Rich Eisen Show.”
“So he can either waste time focusing on winning the Heisman, or he can continue to focus on the things that will make him the best football player he can be. He does that, but we all need reminders, and that’s my job: To continuously remind him of what things are important.”
Marcus Freeman Wants to Take Pressure of CJ Carr
Freeman also spoke about the pressure Carr will face this season in regards to the Heisman Trophy and national title expectations. However, having the 21-year-old focus on the small aspects of football could help relieve the pressure that he will encounter from the outside.
“How do we take pressure off of [Carr]?” Freeman added. “When you think about winning the Heisman and winning national championships, that’s high pressure, right? It’s overwhelming.
“But when you think about I got to have a good Monday and I got to be the best teammate I can be and I got to encourage guys. I got to hold them accountable and I got to prepare, we can handle that and that’s where his focus has to be continuously.”
CJ Carr Makes Life Easier for Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman
Freeman not only appeared on “The Rich Eisen Show” but also on “The Triple Option” podcast with former head coach Urban Meyer, Mark Ingram II, and Rob Stone. The Notre Dame head coach noted that he’s happy to have Carr under center as it makes his job a lot more easier.
“He comes in here and he prepares in a way I haven’t seen many people prepare,” Freeman said during an Aug. 31 appearance. “On the field, he does what it takes to lead his team. I always say this… a leader has to be aware of what his team needs.
“Sometimes it’s getting on your tail, and sometimes it might be encouraging. But, he has that trait. It does help you sleep a bit better at night knowing he’s the one running your offense, but actually is the leader of the team.”
Carr and Notre Dame’s biggest game of the season will come on Nov. 7 when they face the Miami Hurricanes; it’s in that contest that he’ll need to have his biggest game of the season.
Notre Dame QB CJ Carr Gets Blunt Message Ahead of Week 1