Notre Dame Surging with 5-Star QB with Deep Michigan Connections

All eyes have been on 2023 5-star quarterback Dante Moore for Notre Dame football for months, but it looks like another 5-star quarterback from the class of 2024 could very well beat him to the punch. CJ Carr, a 5-star quarterback for 2024 on 247 who just so happens to be the grandson of Lloyd Carr, is announcing a commitment on Thursday (7 PM ET) with Crystal Balls and predictions pouring in for Carr to land at Notre Dame.

Carr was at Notre Dame this past weekend for the Irish Invasion and was, by all accounts, every bit as impressive as his 5-star rating on 247 suggests. Speculation on Carr landing at Notre Dame started over the weekend with Tom Loy from Irish Illustrated logging a crystal ball for Carr to land at Notre Dame on Sunday. By Monday afternoon, Carr announced his official commitment date and time, and numerous additional predictions have been logged on by 247 and On3. All of them for Carr to pick Notre Dame on Thursday.

If Carr does indeed select Notre Dame, and the On3 predictor reads over 98% in Notre Dame’s favor, he will be the highest-rated quarterback to commit to Notre Dame since Jimmy Clausen in the class of 2007. 247 ranks Carr as the 5th quarterback and #25 overall prospect for 2024. Over on On3, he is listed as the 31st overall prospect and 4th rated quarterback. On 247, Carr is a 5-star in their rankings but a 4-star in their composite rankings, while On3 has him as a 4-star at the moment. Only five total prospects have 5-star designations on On3 at the moment, though.

Landing a quarterback of Carr’s caliber now would be absolutely massive for Notre Dame and its 2024 class. It’s long been speculated that the longer Notre Dame goes without a quarterback for the class of 2023, the less likely any signal caller’s commitment will have a profound impact on luring other recruits to the class. Notre Dame currently has all of its eggs in Dante Moore’s basket, leaving them without much of a safety net should Moore commit elsewhere.

Landing Carr simultaneously grants them a bit of a net with an elite quarterback committed for 2024 while also potentially casting some doubt on Moore’s recruitment to Notre Dame that has lingered much longer than anyone thought it would and could now stretch into the fall.

Obviously, there is a long way to go between now and National Signing Day for 2024, but this would be a massive win for Notre Dame, Marcus Freeman, and Tommy Rees. Landing an elite quarterback this early can build a ton of momentum for an entire class. As Notre Dame waits on Moore, the Irish still have just one wide receiver, Braylon James, committed for 2023 though they are leading for both Rico Flores and Jaden Greathouse, who visit this month. Still, it stands to reason that the Irish would be in better shape at the moment at the position if they had a 5-star quarterback committed at this same point last year.

Regardless of what impact Carr’s potential commitment has on quarterback recruiting for 2023, landing Carr on Thursday would be a huge win for Marcus Freeman and the Notre Dame coaching staff – especially when you consider the Michigan ties in play. Lloyd Carr coached at Michigan for 13 years and won the only ½ national championship that program has won since the technological marvel of a credit card was invented. Carr lives 8 miles from Ann Arbor’s campus. And it appears as though the Irish are on the verge of securing a commitment from him.

Imagine a grandson of Lou Holtz playing for Michigan or USC. That is the equivalent of what Notre Dame landing Carr would be like for Michigan fans.