Notre Dame Gets the Letter: Four-star QB CJ Carr already practicing with the Irish

Notre Dame has its fourth quarterback for the 2024 roster. To be more precise, consensus four-star quarterback CJ Carr has been in practice this week, rearranging some of his own life to get as many early reps in as he can, joining the Irish for some bowl preparation work even though he cannot play in the Sun Bowl on Dec. 29 against No. 19 Oregon State.

“I couldn’t imagine being CJ and coming in here by yourself,” Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman said Saturday, a day after Carr’s arrival. “He was here [Friday] for meetings and walkthroughs, and it was like the first day of school. You’re the new guy.

“I was able to spend some time with him during practice and after practice. [Saturday], he was slinging the ball around, and he’s going to be a great player.”

Carr will get in only a handful of practices before the Irish head home for Christmas and then to El Paso, and he is obviously not taking any game-planning chances away from current sophomore Steve Angeli or current freshman Kenny Minchey, but there is no discernible disadvantage to this headstart.

“It’s just good to have him here and that comfort,” Freeman said. “As you move into the winter, you move into the spring ball, he’s not starting from ground zero. He knows what the expectations are. He’ll know where to go. He’ll be able to help those guys that are coming in January figure it out.

“I’m glad he’s here, and I’m excited for the future of CJ Carr.”

CJ CARR
Saline High School; Mich.
Measurements: 6-foot-3, 180 pounds.
Accolades: The No. 4 pro-style quarterback in the class, per rivals.com, Carr was an Elite 11 finalist. In other words, there is no doubt whatsoever he is one of the top quarterbacks in this class, no matter how his collegiate career unfolds.

Other notable offers: To start, Michigan, where Carr’s grandfather, Lloyd, coached the Wolverines to a national championship. While Alabama, Georgia and Penn State all offered him a scholarship, with Michigan State, LSU and Wisconsin also considered as finalists, the obvious pursuit from Ann Arbor always stood out the most, and not just because Saline is less than 10 miles from Michigan Stadium.

“It was time for me to spread my wings a little bit and get a little further from home,” CJ Carr said to The Associated Press last week.

Projected position: Notre Dame does not intend to reach into the transfer market every winter for a veteran quarterback. Pulling in Sam Hartman from Wake Forest and Riley Leonard from Duke were efforts to patch over misevaluations in quarterback recruiting in the 2020 and 2021 recruiting cycles. Those struggles in back-to-back classes put the Irish in a bind.

Carr, following Minchey, should be a key piece to avoiding that worry in years to come.

Quick take: Carr’s strong arm stands out. Notre Dame failed to find that in those recuriting cycles, thus capping the offense’s vertical threats. With a traditional throwing motion, Carr can uncork passes downfield without much struggle.

Short-term roster outlook: Carr will not play much, if at all, in 2024. Leonard will start and either Angeli or Minchey will be his primary backup. But come 2025, Carr should be in the thick of a quarterback competition.

Long-term depth chart impact: Carr could conceivably be a two- to four-year starter, depending when he takes the lead role. But, to be blunt, some will worry about his chances of transferring as soon as he does not play in 2024, a rash worry but one with some reasonable concern in this transfer market era, when quarterbacks move on a carousel more quickly than coaches do.

To preemptively calm that anxiety, realize Carr is the longest committed top quarterback in the class of 2024. Dylan Raiola had committed before Carr, but that was two commitments ago for the Nebraska legacy.

RELATED READING: Notre Dame lands No. 3 QB in 2024 class, beating out Michigan for Lloyd Carr’s grandson

follow @d_farmer