Notre Dame football landed a key piece in their 2024 recruiting class Thursday night. Five-star quarterback CJ Carr committed to the Irish. Carr’s pledge marks a coup for Marcus Freeman and Tommy Rees. With a current composite ranking of 0.9873 on 247sports.com, Carr is Notre Dame’s highest-rated offensive commit since Gunner Kiel signed in 2012.
Hailing from Saline, Michigan, Carr’s commitment is also notable because of his connections with the University of Michigan. The Wolverines also made a heavy push for his signature. Many believed Michigan led the race for his pledge early in the process. Carr’s grandfather Lloyd Carr coached Michigan for 12 years, winning one national title in 1997 as well as five Big Ten titles. Both of Carr’s parents were also Wolverines. His father, Jason Carr, was once himself a Michigan quarterback.
But Freeman and Rees ultimately made the best impression over the course of Carr’s recruitment. Last weekend he attended Notre Dame’s Irish Invasion camp, a showcase for some of Notre Dame’s top targets in the 2024 class. And while Carr had already held an Irish offer heading into the weekend, Notre Dame evidently made an excellent impression over the course of the camp given the quick turnaround between his attendance and his commitment.
Stats and tape tell the tale
Carr only has one full season of starts as a high school quarterback under his belt, but it was an impressive one. Taking the reins at Saline High as a sophomore, Carr led the Hornets to a 9-1 record and a playoff appearance. He threw for nearly 2,700 yards, as well as 28 touchdowns against just four interceptions.Beyond counting stats, Carr put together an impressive tape that shows why so many teams pursued him before his commitment. 247’s national recruiting analyst Allen Trieu said of his game: “His processing speed should only get faster in his junior and senior seasons. Has good, classic passing mechanics and accuracy. Arm strength is good and he can get the ball to any part of the field.”
Carr boasts impressive throwing range and an eye for the game that analysts collectively rave about. He seems primed to be an immediate fit in the Irish offense whenever his time comes to make his first start. Additionally, that first start could be sooner than 2024. Carr is actually older than several 2023 recruits. It's possible that due to his maturity he could eventually reclassify to 2023 so he can get to college earlier. Such a path seems unlikely at present, but if Notre Dame doesn’t land a pledge from a 2023 quarterback it might be an option that gets explored.
Carr excited to recruit for Notre Dame
With Carr’s commitment now in place, Notre Dame will look to continue to build a 2024 class to match its elite 2023 counterpart. Carr has spoken about wanting to be a leader in recruiting others to whatever school he attends. Ahead of his commitment, Carr told 247Sport: “I‘ve known for a while where I want to go. I'm excited to get [my commitment] out there and start recruiting for that school.”That's good news for Notre Dame. Additionally, there’s no doubt the Irish will want to surround him with talent once he steps on the field.
Two targets that Notre Dame might look to lock down soon are tight end Jack Larsen and wide receiver Cam Williams. Both impressed at Irish Invasion over the weekend. They represent some of the high-end skill position talent Notre Dame is hunting in the 2023 and 2024 recruiting cycles. Both expect to be high priorities for the Irish staff in putting together their 2024 class.
