Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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8 OCT. 18, 2025 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME CJ Carr Keeps Raising Expectations At Quarterback By Tyler James Before hitting the halfway mark of Notre Dame's season, redshirt freshman quarterback CJ Carr no longer needed a qualifier when describing his per- formances. Carr didn't just play well for a first-time starter. He played well for a quarterback of any ex- perience level across college football. Carr's ability to recognize what defenses are doing, his arm talent to stretch the field and confidence to make throws from sideline to sideline has completely raised the expectations for what Notre Dame's offense could be this season. Carr quickly transformed from a quarter- back who was eased into the season opener at Miami to one who could start a game with a 66-yard touchdown strike against Purdue. Carr certainly benefits from having a veteran offensive line, a talented run- ning back duo and experienced pass catchers, but he makes the game easier for all of his offensive teammates. He's already helping the offensive line with pass protection calls, making decisions on run-pass options and giving receiv- ers better routes based on his pre-snap coverage recognition. Carr entered Week 7 with the ninth-best passing efficiency rating (177.81) in the FBS with 1,280 passing yards, 11 passing touchdowns and just 2 intercep- tions. That put him ahead of the likes of Miami's Carson Beck (168.48), South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers (165.09), Texas's Arch Manning (151.10) and others who entered the season with NFL Draft buzz. Plenty of NFL attention will come Carr's way if he continues to play at a high level. But more importantly for Notre Dame, the Irish offense should keep humming with Carr at quarterback. It All Starts Up Front With Joe Rudolph's O-Line By Tyler Horka CJ Carr gets the praise for his passing prowess. Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price receive recogni- tion for their unbelievable partnership as the best running back pair in college football. And this is the most talented array of wide receiv- ers Notre Dame's had to work with in who knows how long, too. None of the players from any of those position groups can function, let alone thrive, without an offensive line doing its job, though. And as this 2025 season has gone along, the Notre Dame offensive line has continued to get better and better. Part of picking the Irish O-line for this prompt has to do with where it was, or what it was, in the season opener at Miami. It looked like everyone com- pletely whiffed on the potential of the group as a whole. As it turns out, the Irish just whiffed on trying to block Rueben Bain Jr. And they haven't been alone in that endeavor this year. Since then, Notre Dame's offensive line has been rock solid in keeping Carr upright and facilitating his maturation as a redshirt freshman. Love and Price are the first two guys to tell you they'd be nothing without those who pave the way for them to do what they do, too. So, yeah, the trio of Carr, Love and Price deserve their due. They're the ones putting points on the board. But the unsung heroes should have their praises belted by Notre Dame fans far and wide. It's a unit that's really rounded into form. Point ✦ Counterpoint: WHAT'S BEEN THE MOST IMPRESSIVE ELEMENT OF THE NOTRE DAME OFFENSE SO FAR? Former Irish cornerback Jaden Mickey made his return to Notre Dame Stadium with Boise State Oct. 4. The Notre Dame graduate didn't play in the 28-7 loss for the Broncos due to a concussion, but he led the team onto the field with a U.S. flag. Prior to the game, Blue & Gold Illustrated caught up with Lamar Mickey, Jaden's father, to discuss the experience of transferring out of Notre Dame, life since Lamar's wife, Nilka, died from colon cancer in December 2023 and the support they've received. Here are some of the highlights from Lamar Mick- ey's appearance on the "Third & Gold" podcast. BGI: How did you respond to Jaden wanting to transfer? Mickey: "I said, 'OK, I know you've been praying about it, but I just want to make sure this is not your ego and make sure that it's the Holy Spirit telling you this. Because if it's your ego, you need to check your ego. But if it's your Holy Spirit and you believe it's truly your Holy Spirit, then I'm 100 percent behind you and supporting you, because I know you're chasing a dream. "But at the end of the day, you're not leaving there until you get that degree. We were on the same page that if you're going to leave, you're going to get the degree first." BGI: How did Notre Dame's coaching staff help Jaden in the transfer process? Mickey: "Another situation that's just incredible is that when Jaden went into the portal, the USC DBs coach called and he had a relationship with [Irish head coach Marcus] Freeman. The DBs coach told Jaden that he'd never had a coach say so many posi- tive things about a kid that was entering the portal. "I was just like, 'These are some cool dudes.' I said, 'I don't even know if I would have done that. You're leaving my program. "I won't say any negative things, but I don't know if I'm going to give you glowing things.' But that's just the type of guys they are. I appreciate them. It's nothing but love for them." BGI: How closely did Jaden consider going to USC? Mickey: "When we got back, I don't know what it was, but I know USC offered him the most money. He was like, 'I can't go to USC.' … I said, 'That's a lot of money, bro.' He said, 'I can't do it, I can't do it.'" BGI: What was it like for Jaden to watch Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff? Mickey: "We were like super fans in the liv- ing room jumping up and down. He was los- ing his voice screaming. That was probably one of the best experiences we've had since Nilka died, because we were together — [my daughter] Makayla, Jaden and myself. "Every time you guys played, we were in the liv- ing room and had the TV on. We were just rooting and cheering, and just excited to see all the boys making plays, and seeing you guys advance. Jaden was the biggest fan. He literally wasn't sitting down the entire game, just jumping up and down." BGI: How have you tried to move forward since Nilka's passing? Mickey: "One thing that she would say to me is 'I don't want you sitting on the couch and being sad. I want you to find new love if you can, and I want you to be happy.' I would be like, 'Look, we're not talking about this right now. I'm still trying to keep you alive.' "Those are conversations at that time you kind of take for granted, but then when you meet some widows or widowers that didn't get to have those conversations, you find that they may be stuck where you've kind of been given permission to move on. That really has given me an opportu- nity to be a little ahead of the game." — Tyler James Five Questions With … LAMAR MICKEY Lamar's son, Jaden Mickey, returned to Notre Dame for the first time since transferring to Boise State, but was unable to play in the game due to a concussion he suffered the week prior. PHOTO MICHAEL MILLER CARR RUDOLPH