SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Jack Larsen and CJ Carr take turns bugging each other to get inside the Irish Athletics Center togher.
The two early enrolled freshman try to connect as much as possible for Larsen, a tight end, to run routes and catches passes from Carr, a quarterback. The two have been developing a relationship since they committed just weeks apart in June 2022.
“That’s my guy,” said Larsen. “He’s a hard worker. He likes to get in there late — stretch after workouts, classes, stuff like that. I think we both have that ‘get in when other people aren’t and work hard’ [mentality]. He’s a great guy to be around. Fun. Always cracking jokes. He’s always a good time.”
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Most of Notre Dame’s 2024 signees are already enrolled at Notre Dame. That includes many of the offensive weapons that started bonding while camping at Notre Dame two summers ago like Larsen, Carr, wide receiver Cam Williams and running back Aneyas Williams.
Two other Notre Dame early enrollees, wide receiver Micah Gilbert and defensive end Bryce Young, are products of Charlotte, N.C., like Larsen. He played church league basketball against Young in fourth grade.
The connections in the class certainly run deep.
“It’s been awesome,” Larsen said. “It’s been cool sticking together throughout this whole process. … It shows the bond we had as a class that we’ve stuck together. It’s been fun.”
And yet none of them knew that Notre Dame’s offensive coordinator in 2024 would be Mike Denbrock when the signed with the Irish in December. The offensive pieces like Larsen had faith that head coach Marcus Freeman would find a qualified replacement for Troy head coach Gerad Parker.
It didn’t take long for Larsen to buy into Denbrock as his coordinator and position coach.
“He’s a great offensive mind,” Larsen said, “and I’m excited to work with him for sure.”
The 6-foot-3, 233-pound Larsen shouldn’t have to wait long for opportunities either. This spring, the Irish will be without tight ends Mitchell Evans and Kevin Bauman, who are still recovering from season-ending injuries last fall. Larsen will be working behind three healthy scholarship tight ends: junior Eli Raridon, sophomore Cooper Flanagan and senior Davis Sherwood.
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Larsen came to Notre Dame as a four-star recruit ranked by Rivals as the No. 17 tight end in the class. He proved himself as a pass catcher at Charlotte Catholic with 10 touchdowns catches in each of his last two seasons. As a senior, he totaled 47 receptions for 782 yards.
What Larsen is working to improve on most is his blocking ability.
“In motion, blocks on the end, sharpening it up in the run game,” Larsen said of his areas to improve. “Then in and out of routes, have to keep that crisp. Adjusting to the speed of the game.”
When Larsen isn’t catching passes from Carr, he’s spending time working with the various ball-throwing machines at their disposal with Flanagan.
“He’s been great,” Larsen said of Flanagan. “I knew him a little bit coming in, but he’s been great helping me getting settled in and kind of checking up on me. He’s been a great kind of [older] figure showing me how you kind of roll around here, so it’s been good.”
Flanagan found himself a role as a freshman that allowed him to play in all 13 games. He only caught one pass, a 19-yard touchdown against Pittsburgh, but he contributed as a blocker in heavy tight end sets and on special teams. That’s a great example for how Larsen can find the playing field in 2024.
And if Evans, who spent two seasons as a complementary tight end before blossoming into a star last fall with 29 catches for 422 yards and one touchdown in seven games prior to his injury, can serve as an example, patience and persistence can quickly turn into big opportunities.
“I think it shows that all the stars and stuff don’t really matter when you get here,” Larsen said. “You come in and its fair game, and if you work hard, anything can happen.”
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