DETROIT — Saline (Mich.) quarterback CJ Carr told The Detroit News last month he was deciding where he would take his camps before narrowing down his field on where he would play his college football.
Carr had plenty of time to make his choice since he was just finishing his sophomore season at Saline, where he put himself on the radar after throwing for 2,676 yards and 28 touchdowns with just four interceptions in his first year as a starter.
He made that decision Thursday night, picking Notre Dame among a group of finalists that included Michigan, Michigan State, Georgia, LSU and Wisconsin.
Carr, the grandson of former Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr, camped at Notre Dame last year, and visited this spring. He returned to participate in Notre Dame’s camp on Sunday, the Irish Invasion.
Carr has a close relationship with Irish offensive coordinator Tommy Rees, who was Notre Dame’s quarterback under then-head coach Brian Kelly more than a decade ago. Kelly guided the Irish to more wins (113) than any coach in school history before departing South Bend after last season to take the head job at LSU. Irish defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman was promoted to head coach.
"Michigan always will hold a special place in my heart, we're a Michigan family, but with that being said I'd like to commit to the University of Notre Dame," Carr said during his press conference on CBS Sports HB, then displaying a Notre Dame shirt and cap while sitting alongside his mother, Tammi and father Jason.
"I really like what they're doing there, football-wise and school-wise. Obviously, it's an Ivy League education at a Power Five football school. I also love what Coach Rees and Coach Freeman are building there. I think this 2023 class is going to be special, but we also want to make this 2024 class something special too."
Carr said he's enjoyed his relationship with Rees.
"The competitive spirit he has is unbelievable," Carr said. "I also got to develop a relationship with Coach Freeman in that time and he's inspirational really. He is just awesome to talk to and I love what he is building there and the culture behind everything that he does. I'm just excited to be a part of the Fighting Irish."
Carr also talked about Rees' competitive style back in May.
“His (Rees) coaching style is really appealing to me," Carr said. "I think he’s a really competitive guy and he wants to win. I really like how he’s coaching these quarterbacks and really got the vibe that he cares a lot. I’m just excited to continue to grow that relationship.”
While Carr is known as a five-star pro-style quarterback, ranked as the No. 5 quarterback nationally for the 2024 class by 247Sports Composite, he showed his mobility by consistently using his legs to extend plays and then find receivers for big plays in a comeback win over Hudsonville at The Big House in last year’s season opener.
So, was it tough to say no to Michigan?
"Like I said Michigan will always hold a close place to my heart and my family's heart, but I never could see myself going to a college inside the state of Michigan or close to my hometown," Carr said during the press conference. "I'm really excited to get down to South Bend and get to work."
Carr will have to do a lot more work in his final two years at Saline before his college career.
While Carr has his college future plans securely in his hip pocket, he can now concentrate on his junior season this fall. Carr led Saline to a 9-0 regular season record before a loss to Canton in a Division 1 pre-district game.
“The last loss left a bad taste in all of Saline’s mouth, so I think we’re ready to come back this year and show we’re not a team that can do really well in the SEC and then lose quickly in the playoffs,” Carr said. “I think we’re out to show what we can do next year.”
Carr has attended specialized quarterback training across the country, including Next Level Quaterback Training with Greg Holcomb in Chicago and with Will Hewlett Will Hewlett in Jacksonville, Fla.
