Notre Dame 2024 QB commit CJ Carr discusses junior season, recruiting for the Irish

Saline (Mich.) High finished 8-3 this season which included a first-round playoff win before falling to Belleville (Mich.) High, who came into the game ranked as the top overall team in the state of Michigan per High School Football America.

Notre Dame class of 2024 quarterback commit CJ Carr had an outstanding season for the Saline Hornets, completing 222 of 326 passes (68.1 percent) for 2,685 yards with 26 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. On the ground, he ran 70 times for 221 yards and 7 scores.

“It was an up and down season,” Carr told Blue & Gold. “There were some struggles but a lot of great moments. Two losses in the middle of the season were hard for me and my team, but bouncing back and ending how we did is something that we’re proud of.”

Saline returns many key offensive players for next season’s team, including four-star class of 2024 tight end Dylan Mesman.

“I’m really excited for my senior season,” continued Carr. “We ended on such a good note that will keep pushing everyone forward.

“I’m excited to see our offensive line continue to grow, and we have some really good, young receivers. I’m ready to play. I know the season just ended, but I want to get in the weight room and work this offseason.”

Carr has plans on how he’ll improve his game to take it to another level over the next several months.

“Definitely hitting the weight room will be a big thing this offseason and also, I’ll probably head down to Florida to train,” he said.

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Carr talks Notre Dame

The 6-2.5, 195-pounder has taken a couple trips to Notre Dame this fall, experiencing games on opposite ends of the spectrum. The Irish falling to Stanford was certainly a low point of the 2022 season, while beating a previously unbeaten No. 4 Clemson team was the complete opposite.

“I’ve been up there twice for game day experiences this fall, and hopefully I’ll be up there for the Boston College game, too,” Carr said. “The first two games were great. I know the Stanford game didn’t turn out the way we wanted it to, but getting around all the recruits and commits was amazing.

“And I can’t talk enough about the Clemson game. It was amazing. Rushing the field was unbelievable. It was Coach [Marcus] Freeman’s biggest win, but it won’t be his last big win. This is just the start of the Freeman Era.”

Carr made a custom hoodie specifically to wear for the Stanford game. The image on the hoodie is a graphic that says “Fantastic 4 Change is coming” on it with visit photos of four Notre Dame recruits from St. Louis. Earlier in the day, St. Louis Christian Brothers running back Jeremiyah Love committed to join the Irish’s 2023 class.

It’s that level of attention to detail that shows just how good of a “commit recruiter” that Carr is.

“Starting those relationships is something that’s really important to me,” he said. “That’s been the goal — getting around as many great recruits as I can.”

Carr was fired up to see Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller class of 2024 cornerback Karson Hobbs flip his commitment from South Carolina to Notre Dame. Hobbs is commit No. 7 for the Irish in next year’s class.

“Getting Karson committed after the Clemson game was a really big commitment for us,” said Carr. “That’s a big win. If we keep pushing forward, we’ll hopefully have a top class in 2024, too.”

Carr is rock solid with his commitment to the Fighting Irish.

“I’ve always had a good relationship with Coach [Tommy] Rees, but that’s only continued to grow while I’ve been committed. I’m starting relationships with other coaches, like Coach [Chansi] Stuckey.”

There were months of speculation regarding whether Carr would reclassify from the 2024 to 2023 class, but that has been put to bed. Carr remains as a high school junior, but he will skip his final semester of high school in the spring of 2024 to enroll early at Notre Dame.

Getting a head start and participating in Notre Dame’s 2024 spring ball is important to him.

“Those reps and starting to learn the offense is really important,” Carr said.

Carr ranks as the No. 32 overall player and No. 5 quarterback nationally per the 2024 On3 Consensus. He committed to Notre Dame in June over Michigan, Michigan State, Georgia, Wisconsin and others.