Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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10 FEBRUARY 2026 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME Teddy Jarrard's Reclassification Screams Quick Ascension By Tyler Horka Notre Dame's 2026 quarterback situation is cut and dried. Redshirt sophomore CJ Carr is the starter, and there are three youngsters on the depth chart behind him vying for the honor to be his backup. What do they all have in common? None of them have ever taken a snap in a college football game. One of the main ones when assessing a trio of tal- ents lacking in experience is raw ability. Who's got the most upside? Whose tool set is more expansive than that of his peers? Carr admirably answered those questions and became QB1 after just one season of standing on the sideline as a reserve. Looking at current freshman Blake Hebert and incoming freshmen Noah Grubbs and Teddy Jarrard, it's Jarrard who comes to Notre Dame as the most heavily recruited prospect of the three. He's the No. 16 quarterback in the class of 2026, per the Rivals Industry Rankings, and that's even after reclassifying from the class of 2027. Grubbs is No. 29 in the same cycle. Hebert was No. 26 in 2025. There is just a different air about Jarrard when stacked up against his com- petition. It's similar to Carr's presence having a little something more than Steve Angeli's or Kenny Minchey's. Notre Dame wouldn't have had Jarrard get to campus a whole year early if he didn't have what it takes to get on the field right away. Unless the Irish find an experienced veteran OK with being a backup via the transfer portal, it's not outlandish to think Jarrard could come in as a reclassified enrollee and stake his claim to the QB2 designation. Let Blake Hebert Step Up After One Season By Tyler James With no experience behind Carr, it will be tempting for Notre Dame to bring in a transfer portal quarterback with experience who is willing to accept a backup role. That can be a narrow needle to thread with quality options. And if Notre Dame goes that route, it might not be received well by Blake Hebert following his freshman season. Notre Dame made a late push for Hebert in the 2025 recruiting cycle after it lost a drawn-out commitment of Deuce Knight to Auburn. The Irish liked Hebert's physical tools and saw a fit for him in Notre Dame's of- fense, which prompted an attempt to flip his commit- ment from Clemson. Hebert essentially became Notre Dame's emergency option in the 2025 recruiting class. He should be Notre Dame's emergency option in the 2026 season if something happens to Carr. After one season in the system, the 6-foot-3, 225-pound Hebert should be prepared to fill a backup role. His running ability makes him an attractive option, because he can use that skill set to help get himself out of trouble. Quarterbacks coach Gino Guidugli should spend a lot of time with Hebert this offseason to put him in a position to succeed as Notre Dame's No. 2 option. Then if Carr leaves after the 2026 season, Hebert will get a fair shake in a competition with Noah Grubbs and Teddy Jarrard. Notre Dame benefited from being patient with the development of Carr from his freshman to redshirt freshman season. The coaching staff should be patient and trust Hebert as well. Point ✦ Counterpoint: WHO SHOULD BE NOTRE DAME'S BACKUP QUARTERBACK BEHIND CJ CARR IN 2026? Mike Golic Jr. was a sophomore the last time, prior to this offseason, that Notre Dame opted not to play in a bowl game. Notre Dame's 2009 team could have played in a bowl game because it finished with a 6-6 record in the regular season, but the program's focus was on hiring a replace- ment for recently fired head coach Charlie Weis. Golic, who played offensive line for the Irish from 2008-12, joined Blue & Gold Illustrated's "Third & Gold Podcast" to share his perspective on the aftermath of Notre Dame's 2025 season and his own experience in a similar, but very dif- ferent, situation. BGI: Do you think public campaigning influ- ences the College Football Playoff committee? Golic: "I don't buy into the conspiracy, but these are human beings. They read, watch and hear things around the sport like we all do. I think everyone right now, especially in the conferences, is very aware of their messaging and how they feel it goes and tries to give them the best chance of helping their teams." BGI: Do you think the controversy around this year's College Football Playoff selection is a one- off or that something needs to change? Golic: "I don't know, it seems to me the further away we've gotten from the initial injury, the pain point seems to really be, 'Hey, if the ACC and a lot of these conferences just work out their champi- onship scenarios a little bit better, I do think this is going to get a little bit easier.'" BGI: Do you have an issue with how the ACC used Notre Dame to prop up Miami? Golic: "I have a ton of friends in ACC country. The relationship's always been kind of weird with Notre Dame, right? There's always kind of been this simmering feeling of you got one foot in and one foot out. What the hell? This could do a lot to help stabilize the conference if you guys would just go ahead and pull the ripcord and join the party here. "So, I do think some of those feelings were a part of this entire ordeal, as kind of a venting of frustrations. But it at times seemed like a bit much for someone you still had a working rela- tionship with." BGI: What did the 2009 team do in December after Weis got fired and the team decided to not go to a bowl game? Golic: "Quite candidly, we got drunk during that time. It had been a long year, even a couple of years. We had known for the last few weeks that we had not played well enough for our coach to retain his job. It was such a weird scenario. So, we got after it for a little bit." BGI: How did bowl practices benefit you as a young player? Golic: "For me, it was a little tougher to see those benefits always just because I had so many position coaching changes. That's what kind of muddies it for me is when you got four O-line coaches in five years, you're kind of going into ev- ery spring having to relearn whatever that guy's technique is. "So, the bowl development only goes so far if you don't have that continuity." — Tyler James Five Questions With … FORMER NOTRE DAME OFFENSIVE LINEMAN MIKE GOLIC JR. Golic, who played offensive line for the Irish from 2008-12, was a sophomore the last time Notre Dame opted to not play in a bowl game despite being eligible. PHOTO COURTESY DRAFTKINGS JARRARD HEBERT