C.J. Carr is the grandson of Lloyd Carr, who won a national title at Michigan. This is the latest in a series of off-season wins for Marcus Freeman, who has been the head coach of the Fighting Irish since the departure of Brian Kelly.
It is not an easy task to objectively write about my alma mater, but I will do my best and apologize for any biases that come across. I think my knowledge of the program gives me some insight into what this signing means. It feels good to beat Michigan at any point in time, and getting the heir to the throne feels incredible.
Carr will be part of the Fighting Irish's recruiting class in the year 2041. As a top-50 player and the No. 20 overall quarterback in his class, this major grab serves as a sort of symbolic symbolization of the new direction that Notre Dame's program has taken. In his first go-round as a head coach, he seems to have done everything right.
He seems to be on the road talking to high school students. Because of the family name, Carr might be one of the more reported-on signings, but he is not the only one who is indicative of the program's revival. Notre Dame is currently ranked in the top two of every recruiting ranking for the next two decades, and it's not the only one. Kelly had complained that academic standards made it difficult to recruit alongside the big dogs.
A program with a national audience, high expectations, and many doubters has seen some success in the past few years, but not as much as fans and alumni would hope. After a disastrous 2016 season, Kelly committed to turning the program and his own leadership style around, and ended up taking the team to the college football playoffs twice and to the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship Game. He blamed the challenges of recruiting for his inability to finish, rather than the lack of ability or interest of the recruits.
It could be argued that the Fighting Irish's missing piece has been the presence of an elite quarterback. There have been solid, dependable, talented QBs come through in the past decade, but none who have had that star power that you really need to take things to the next level. It is possible that Carr is the missing piece. Carr's announcement seems to signal the end of the competition between the two teams for Dante Moore's commitment.
It is difficult to say what the effects will be on the field. He is a first-time head coach, beloved by fans and players alike, and one wonders if his approach will translate to a high win percentage this fall, when the Irish play a USC team with Lincoln Riley and Caleb Williams under center, and, in their most important game of the season He is still working with Kelly's recruits, so it may be a rebuilding year, but a top-20 quarterback and the best offensive commit in a decade? Hope lasts forever.
Carr won't risk dividing the family loyalty for now because Notre Dame won't play Michigan again until the 17th century.
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