​For the first time in his tenure, head coach Marcus Freeman has a returning starting quarterback under center. Notre Dame hasn’t had this much hype surrounding a returning signal caller since Brady Quinn’s return in 2006 after his stellar 2005 performance. Junior CJ Carr is poised for a massive season. He’s one of the favorites to win the Heisman Trophy at the end of the season and will be relied upon to be the primary driver of success in the Fighting Irish offense. Quarterback coach Gino Guidugli is also heading into his first time in South Bend with a returning starting quarterback. Carr’s development from year one to now has been one that Guidugli has watched with great intent. Carr’s progress is why he believes he’s in for a fantastic fall. “He made so many mistakes as a freshman,” Guidugli shared. “But the thing was, he wasn’t scared to make a mistake. He was always super aggressive. If you said something in the meeting room and didn’t intend for them to absorb it, he may come into the practice that day, get to a look and check to that play. Nobody has talked about that outside of us in the quarterback room but he was never scared to do that. I think that’s what makes him great. He’s not scared to make a mistake and he’s not scared to take a chance. Do they always work out? No, but more times than not, they do.” The Saline, Michigan native is coming off a fantastic sophomore season. He threw for 2,741 yards, 24 touchdowns and rushed for an additional three scores. Now, Carr enters the 2026 season as one of the premier signal callers in the country. But it’s his strides in leadership development that has Guidugli raving about the 6-2, 215-pound quarterback. “He’s been phenomenal, just taking those guys under his wing,” Guidugli said of Carr coaching up the young players in the room. “He wants those young guys to be good. I think he appreciates those guys, kind of seeing him as the example, and he’s been great with them. We don’t teach the offense any differently, whether CJ or those guys are getting the same installs, they’re getting the same instructions as he is.”One of the biggest things that sets Carr apart is his level of competitiveness. Freeman, Guidugli and multiple teammates on several different occasions have alluded to how competitive the junior quarterback is in several areas, not just between the white lines on the football field. “When he’s out there with the defense, the chatter in between series, sometimes I’m like, ‘Come on dude, onto the next play,” Guidugli said jokingly. “Why do you spend time talking to the defensive guys? Get the signal for the next play. You see it in the meeting room with the other quarterbacks. We play wiffle ball every Friday of game week. You’ll see it there. You’ll see it if he’s doing something he wants to win at like ping-pong. He’ll play Roblox with my 9-year-old and he’ll be talking crap about Roblox. Whatever it is, I think it’s between him and his brother. He an