Notre Dame places CJ Carr (QB) and Leonard Moore (CB) on Maxwell Award watch list

Notre Dame will begin the 2026 season with added hardware attention after CJ Carr and Leonard Moore were named to the Maxwell Award watch list, according to Yahoo Sports. The Maxwell Award is one of college football’s best-known national player-of-the-year honors, and being included on the watch list indicates that voters and media are already looking toward those roles as potential “most valuable” storylines.

Carr’s inclusion puts the Fighting Irish quarterback into the national spotlight for a season that typically turns on decision-making, efficiency, and the ability to make plays in a variety of game states. As Notre Dame’s quarterback, his season performance would be evaluated not only on output, but also on how consistently the offense runs when facing different coverages and pressure looks. Watch lists like this often function as an early barometer for which quarterbacks are expected to carry the offense for a full campaign.

Leonard Moore’s presence on the same watch list brings a defensive element to the mix. Moore, listed as a cornerback, represents the sort of complete-impact defender that Maxwell voters tend to reward: a player whose influence shows up in pass breakups, coverage consistency, and the ability to limit big plays. For a secondary, the test is week-to-week, and a watch-list nomination tends to raise expectations that the cornerback will be a difference-maker across multiple styles of opposing attacks.

The fact that Notre Dame has two players on a national award list matters for the way the program is being framed heading into the season. It suggests that the strongest narrative paths for the Fighting Irish run through both the quarterback position and the defensive back end, meaning the team’s identity could be judged as much by its pass protection and coverage structure as by its offensive production. Even without guaranteeing a winner, the double nomination can influence how opponents prepare, particularly when a cornerback is receiving preseason national consideration.

Historically, Maxwell Award watch lists are broad and do not mean a player is the inevitable front-runner. Multiple names from a watch list often fall off as the season progresses due to injury, performance swings, or team results, while other players who were not originally included emerge through standout statistical and on-field résumés. In other words, watch-list inclusion is best understood as recognition of potential and role-based value, not a prediction of the final outcome.

With Carr and Moore both on the slate, Notre Dame’s most important early questions become relatively clear. Can Carr sustain a high level of quarterback play against stronger opponents and create offensive momentum without relying on one type of play? Can Moore translate preseason recognition into consistent coverage impact, especially in moments when defenses are most tested against vertical routes and third-down passing threats? Those answers, more than any preseason reputation, are what typically shape late-season award conversations.

For readers following the Maxwell Award race, Notre Dame’s two-track storyline is simple to track: Carr’s ability to direct the offense while keeping games under control, and Moore’s ability to make the passing game difficult for opposing quarterbacks. If both players deliver performances that match their preseason billing, the Fighting Irish could find themselves with one or both names returning to the national awards discussion deep into the year. Still, because this is a watch list, the next step is watching whether production and impact hold up as opponents get more familiar and the schedule becomes more demanding.