Miami opens its season with a national-stage stress test on a Sunday night visit from No. 6 Notre Dame and newly named starting quarterback CJ Carr, who’ll be making his first collegiate start at Hard Rock Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on Aug. 31.
Carr, a redshirt freshman and the grandson of former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr, won a months-long competition over Kenny Minchey this week. Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman pointed to Carr’s decision-making and leadership despite his limited resume (he appeared in one game last season and didn’t attempt a pass). The promotion ends a two-year run of veteran transfer starters in South Bend and hands a blue-chip recruit his first shot under the lights.
Carr was an Elite 11 finalist and a consensus top-10 QB recruit coming out of high school in 2024. At 6-foot-3-inches, he’s a classic pocket operator who’ll pilot Mike Denbrock’s attack. With one of the top backs in the country in Jeremiyah Love, Miami will need to make the Irish offense one-dimensional.
For Miami, that starts with edge terror Rueben Bain Jr. The junior made the preseason All-ACC team and, even while managing an injury last fall, logged 5.5 TFLs and 3.5 sacks in nine games. His ability to win matchups against the strong ND offensive line is a path for Miami to make Carr uncomfortable in his debut. But, this might be Bain's biggest test all season.
The Hurricanes like their second-level core, too. Senior LB Wesley Bissainthe returns after starting all 13 games in 2024 (59 tackles, five TFLs) and enters 2025 on the Butkus Award watch list. If Bain and the front can force Notre Dame behind the sticks, Bissainthe can start to make things difficult in obvious passing situations. Although, getting to those obvious passing situations might be the toughest part of the plan with Love ready to kick off his Heisman campaign.
On the back end, sophomore corner O.J. Frederique gives Miami a reliable cover man. Frederique was an FWAA Freshman All-American in 2024 (30 tackles, seven PBUs) and figures to see plenty of the Irish’s top targets on the perimeter.
If the Hurricanes win on early downs and keep explosives off the menu, they can make Carr’s debut feel like exactly what it is — a first. If the Irish run game sets the table and the ball comes out on time, the onus shifts to Miami’s corners to win on islands.
Notre Dame has a very respectable group of receivers but the production doesn't jump off the page. Carr may be able to change that — and it must be mentioned that the Miami defense was not reliable last year — but Malachi Fields, Will Pauling, Jaden Greathouse, Jordan Faison, etc. still need to show that they can take full advantage of the opportunities (if they present themselves).
Either way, the stakes are high for the Week 1 clash. Miami’s defense doesn’t need to pitch a shutout to win, but it needs to drag a young quarterback into a long Sunday night and force him to solve problems at a high speed. Notre Dame just made its bet on Carr. Miami’s mission is to make him prove it.