2024 four-star quarterback and Michigan legacy CJ Carr commits to Notre Dame

Notre Dame and head coach Marcus Freeman continue to roll on the recruiting trail, pulling what is arguably the biggest upset of the 2024 cycle thus far. Saline (Mich.) High four-star quarterback CJ Carr committed to the Fighting Irish on Thursday, becoming their third pledge in the class.

“I love Notre Dame,” Carr told On3’s Chad Simmons about choosing the Irish. “I know exactly how I will be coached there, I know what will be expected of me and I am excited to help build the recruiting class.”

It’s a big recruiting win for the Irish landing such an elite talent at the all-important quarterback position, and they beat out Michigan — the program at which his father and two grandfathers starred — for him. In addition to Notre Dame and the Wolverines, Georgia, LSU, Michigan State and Wisconsin rounded out Carr’s finalists.

Carr is the grandson of legendary Michigan coach Lloyd Carr, who guided the program from 1995-2007, compiled a 122-40 record, and won the 1997 national championship. Carr’s maternal grandfather is Tom Curtis, a former All-American and College Football Hall of Fame Michigan safety. Jason Carr, Lloyd’s son and CJ’s father, was a quarterback at Michigan in the 1990s. His mother, Tammi, also graduated from Michigan.

Per the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies, Carr is a four-star talent, the No. 1 prospect in Michigan, and the No. 5 quarterback and No. 23 overall player in the country in his class. On3’s own rankings are quite similar; Carr is listed as the top player in his home state, and the No. 4 quarterback and No. 31 overall recruit nationally.

He joins defensive linemen Owen Wafle of Princeton (N.J.) Hun School and Brandon Davis-Swain of West Bloomfield (Mich.) High on the Irish’s early 2024 commitment list.

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Notre Dame staff key in Carr’s recruitment

The 6-2.5, 195-pounder has visited Notre Dame four times in total. He threw at the Irish Invasion camps in June 2021 and 2022. He was on campus for Notre Dame’s 31-16 win over USC Oct. 23 last season, and he caught a spring practice just less than two months ago.

“It started last summer,” Carr said of Notre Dame’s pursuit of him. “Working with Coach (Tommy) Rees in the camp, walking around campus, and seeing the culture there got things started with Notre Dame last year. That is what triggered my interest.”

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Rees, who is entering his third year as Notre Dame’s offensive coordinator this fall, led the charge for the Irish in Carr’s recruitment, Head coach Marcus Freeman, director of recruiting Chad Bowden and analyst Dre Brown were key figures as well.

“How they made me feel like a priority really stood out to me, too,” Carr added. “The way Tommy Rees coaches quarterbacks is a big thing, too. He communicates well, he is a great coach and the quarterbacks there love him.”

Carr was on campus last weekend and informed the staff of his decision on Monday morning. He announced his commitment Thursday evening live on CBS Sports HQ.

The CJ Carr file

Carr helped lead Saline to a 9-1 record (including going 7-0 in league play) as a sophomore last fall. The rising junior is still relatively new to football but clearly excelled rapidly. He did not play tackle football until seventh grade, and his stock has soared since the end of the 2021 season.

He reports that he threw for 2,696 yards with 28 touchdowns with 4 interceptions, completing 156 of 243 attempts as a sophomore. Carr was named to the 2021 Associated Press Michigan Division 1-2 first-team offense. He was also listed on the 2021 Michigan Division 1 Region 2 first team.

Carr has been invited to play in the 2024 All-American Bowl and Under Armour All-American Game. He was named MVP of the All-American Bowl National Combine in January.

In addition to his finalists, Carr held offers from Alabama, Penn State, Arizona, Maryland, Mississippi State, Indiana and Nebraska.

As the rankings currently stand, the Saline signal-caller is the highest-rated quarterback to choose the Irish since Gunner Kiel (No. 2 quarterback and No. 18 overall player per the On3 Consensus) in 2012.

Carr has an NIL valuation of $111,000, which ranks No. 157 in the HS Football NIL ranking. The On3 NIL Valuation is an index that looks to set the standard market value for both high school and college-level athletes. The NIL valuation does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals an athlete has completed to date. It rather signifies an athlete’s value at a certain moment in time.