Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr already has the attention of NFL scouts. But the guy catching his passes in 2026? He barely played last season.
On3 analyst J.D. PicKell released his list of the top 10 quarterback-wide receiver duos for the upcoming college football season. And the Notre Dame pairing of Carr and wideout Mylan Graham landed at No. 5. That’s ahead of some duos from programs with a lot more recent offensive production.
The Graham factor
Here’s the part that makes you stop. Graham spent 2025 at Ohio State. As a Buckeye, he caught six passes. Six. For 93 total yards. That’s not a misprint.
But PicKell and On3 are betting on the player Graham was coming out of high school — a four-star recruit — and what he becomes after transferring to South Bend. The logic goes something like this: Ohio State produces elite receiver talent. Some of it leaves and explodes elsewhere. Joe Burrow went from Buckeye backup to Heisman winner at LSU. Jameson Williams transferred from Ohio State to Alabama and became a first-round pick. Graham could be next in that line.
“The former four-star recruit is bound to blossom in South Bend under the guidance of head coach Marcus Freeman,” On3 wrote.
Whether that happens is the bet. Notre Dame clearly thinks it will, or they wouldn’t be building an offense around it.
Carr’s 2025 numbers look real
The quarterback side of this ranking is easier to explain. Carr threw for 2,741 yards and 24 touchdowns in his first season as Notre Dame’s starter. He threw only six interceptions. He took the job from Riley Leonard, who left for the NFL after 2024, and held it without looking back.
Carr is already projected as one of the top quarterbacks in the 2027 NFL Draft. The arm talent is there. The decision-making improved fast. Now the question is whether Notre Dame can build a passing game around him that scares playoff-caliber defenses.
Notre Dame’s 2025 was a near miss
The Fighting Irish famously did not make the College Football Playoff in 2025. They missed by a very narrow margin, which stung a lot more after they’d played for the national championship in 2024. Ohio State beat them in that title game. The same Ohio State Graham just left.
That history gives this season a little extra edge. Notre Dame opens 2026 against Wisconsin on September 6. If Carr and Graham are as dangerous together as PicKell predicts, the Irish could be right back in the playoff conversation. If Graham can’t translate his high school tape into college production, this ranking will look like a reach. Either way, it’s a story worth watching.
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