SOUTH BEND, Ind. — CJ Carr completed his first college football practice Saturday.
The long-time Notre Dame quarterback commitment became the first member of the Irish 2024 recruiting class to join Notre Dame’s football program. Upon early graduation from Saline (Mich.) High this month, Carr received a waiver to begin practice with the Irish during Sun Bowl preparations.
Carr will begin classes as a Notre Dame student in January when the spring semester begins, but he’ll already be ahead of his fellow early enrollees in the 2024 class.
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“I couldn’t imagine being CJ and coming in here by yourself,” said Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman. “He was here [Friday] for meetings and walk-throughs. It was like the first day of school. You’re a new guy.
“I was able to spend some time with him during practice and after practice. Today, he was slinging the ball around and he’s going to be a great player. It’s just good to have him here in that comfort. As you move into the winter and you move into spring ball, he’s not starting 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.”
The rest of Notre Dame’s 23 verbal commitments are expected to sign with the Irish on Wednesday, the first day of the three-day early signing period. Many of them will enroll at Notre Dame in January.
Carr, who attended three Notre Dame home games this season, made the move to South Bend on Friday to take advantage of the next couple weeks of practices before the Dec. 29 Sun Bowl. Carr won’t be eligible to play in the game against No. 19 Oregon State (8-4), but he’ll be able to go through practices essentially as Notre Dame’s third-string quarterback behind starter Steve Angeli, a sophomore, and backup Kenny Minchey, a freshman. Previous starter Sam Hartman opted out of participating.
Carr, the grandson of former Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr and son of former Michigan quarterback Jason Carr, comes to Notre Dame as a highly decorated quarterback prospect. Rivals ranks CJ Carr as the No. 4 pro-style quarterback and No. 50 overall in the 2024 class.
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In 11 games as a senior for Saline, Carr completed 198 of his 292 passes (67.8%) for 2,754 yards with 24 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He was named to the 2023 Michigan High School Football Coaches Association first-team all-state roster. The Hornets (9-2) won the Red Division of the Southeastern Conference against schools in the Ann Arbor area.
“He’s obviously really highly ranked and well thought of,” Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney said on the Inside ND Sports podcast. “Had a very good senior season. ... Nine interceptions against that competition I don’t really love. But a lot of kids in high school trust their arm more than they should and then they’ll dial it back.
“What you get with Carr is what I think Notre Dame people are expecting. He’s not going to be flashy. He’s not going to be making the highlight throws every single time. But he’s going to be smart and he’s going to get the ball to where it needs to be. That’s what he is. Very solid quarterback. Obviously comes from a great pedigree.
“What I like the most about him is that he really didn’t play games with his recruitment. He committed early. Notre Dame took the commitment early. ... Not a lot of flash, but a whole lot of substance.”
Carr committed to Notre Dame in June 2022 when the Irish were still in pursuit of 2023 five-star quarterback Dante Moore. The Irish eventually signed Minchey, a four-star recruit, in the class when Moore looked elsewhere. Moore played at UCLA as a freshman in 2023 and has already entered the transfer portal.
Carr held his commitment to Notre Dame the longest in the 2024 class. After Carr committed on June 9 of 2022, four-star tight end Jack Larsen and four-star wide receiver Cam Williams joined him in the class later that month. All three camped together at the Irish Invasion to start the month.
Notre Dame will enter the week of the early signing period with its 2024 class ranked No. 7 in the country.
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