Notre Dame's Carr, Moore Named to Maxwell Award Watch List

What Happened

Per Yahoo Sports' report, Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr and cornerback Leonard Moore have both been placed on the Maxwell Award watch list. The Maxwell Award recognizes the top overall player in college football regardless of position, and this year's watch list includes two Fighting Irish players spanning offense and defense. The report does not indicate any official Notre Dame or Maxwell Award Committee statement beyond the watch list release itself. No further details on selection criteria or full list composition were included in the sourced report.

Why It Matters

• A two-position watch list nod signals Notre Dame is being evaluated as a team with impact talent on both sides of the ball, not just a quarterback-driven story.
• Preseason watch lists shape the early Heisman and All-America conversation, meaning Carr and Moore start the year with a national spotlight already on their production.
• Multiple watch-list players from one program is a data point outlets and committees will reference all season when building award tracking narratives around Notre Dame.

Josh's Receipt

THE PATE STATE READ

THE PATE STATE READ: Credit where it's due — getting a quarterback and a cornerback on the same major watch list is a real preseason signal, not a participation trophy. The honest sizing here matters, though. A watch list is a starting line, not a finish line. Carr and Moore now carry the tag, but tags get shed fast once games kick off and tape starts talking instead of preseason projections. This moves the needle on national attention for Notre Dame. It does not yet move the needle on anything that gets decided in December.(Josh has not yet commented.)

What's Next

• Notre Dame's 2026 season opener, where Carr and Moore begin building the game tape that either justifies or erodes the watch-list attention.
• Midseason Maxwell Award watch list trims, which typically narrow the field as committees evaluate in-season performance.
• Late-season Maxwell Award finalist announcements, when watch-list names either advance toward the award or fall off entirely.