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How did Notre Dame QB commit CJ Carr fare in Day 1 of the Elite 11 Finals?

Singer headshotby:Mike Singer•06/15/23•

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CJ Carr
2024 quarterback CJ Carr. (Kyle Kelly/Blue & Gold)

The Elite 11 Finals — which features 20 of the top quarterbacks in the 2024 class — began on Wednesday night in Redondo Beach, Calif. As has been the case in past years, the first day of the three-day event featured drill work, with the quarterbacks separated into four groups and working through different stations.

For On3’s evaluation of the quarterbacks, they’re able to get a sense for some of the physical tools, passing ability and level of development of the participants from Wednesday’s session.

Saline (Mich.) High’s CJ Carr, a Notre Dame commit who comes into the event as the nation’s No. 45 overall player and No. 6 quarterback according to the 2024 On3 Industry Ranking, had a strong day one according to On3 scouting and rankings assistant Cody Bellaire, who previously served as Texas Tech’s director of scouting.

“CJ threw the ball extremely well; he’s able to spin it as good as anyone out here,” Bellaire told Blue & Gold. “The biggest thing with CJ is when he’s able to be on time, go through his motion and have the time to sit back and deliver a quality football, he’s going to do it nine times out of 10. However, when you ask him to get out of rhythm and make off-platform throws, he loses it mechanically a little bit. The ball can flutter on him at times.

“That was really my biggest demerit for him on the day, but my goodness, when he’s able to really let it rip and drive the ball downfield, he throws a very accurate, catchable football with plenty of zip on it. Overall, I thought it was a very solid performance for CJ Carr. I’m really hoping that he can get that tool out of his bag and make a throw or two that’s out of his comfort zone. I think that’s his biggest hurdle that he’s hopefully going to be able to jump over at some point this week.”

On3 listed Carr as their No. 10 overall performer solely based on Wednesday’s performance, which may not seem great, but one must remember that his competition is 19 of the other best quarterbacks in the country. Eight of the nation’s top 10 quarterbacks per the On3 Industry Ranking are also in Southern California for this event.

Here’s what Bellaire wrote about Carr in On3’s top performers article:

“CJ Carr has a long-standing reputation as a strong performer in the neutral camp setting. He came out to Day 1 of the Elite 11 Finals looking crisp and clean as a passer. Carr is one of the most mechanically sound passers at the event. Everything from his footwork to his arm action is as polished as they come. He showed the ability to layer touch throws and drive the football down the seam.

“Carr was more comfortable working in the rhythm as an in-structure passer than when asked to throw off-platform. He struggled to tie everything together and was a bit thrown off when working on the move. Carr could be set to impress later on, as his skill set is tailored to the type of structured Pro Day environment in Thursday’s workout.”

Complete Elite 11 Finals Roster | Day 1 Live Updates

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