The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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JUNE / JULY 2022 THE WOLVERINE 49 FOOTBALL RECRUITING "He's a fighter," Blackwell said. "He's going to scrap it out. He has a lot of pride. That's the type of guy you want on your side. He's going to win those ri- valry games because he'll run through a brick wall for his coach. He's a program building block. "His popularity in the state is so wide — so many people respect him. He put in the grind to get to where he is. He'll take 1,000 reps to be No. 1. That desire and passion is what sets him apart." Morgan may be a Michigan commit now, but he did the same thing last year. A virtual no-name on the recruiting trail at the time, Morgan attended ev- ery Sound Mind Sound Body event and school camp possible before earning his dream offer from the Wolverines. Sound Mind Sound Body was the driving force behind his relentless pur- suit of playing at the highest level. "I didn't even know you could get of- fers to go to schools," Morgan said. "I was just playing for fun. Sound Mind Sound Body taught me that there is a business to football and, also, that there is more than just football. "Coach Blackwell makes it a prior- ity to teach us more. We have SAT and ACT programs. They teach us to talk to coaches and just people in general. It's helped me so much." CJ Carr THE LEGACY Anybody that follows Michigan foot- ball knows the last name Carr carries plenty of weight around the entire state. Elite 2024 Saline (Mich.) High quar- terback CJ Carr has grown up in the spotlight his entire life. His grandfather, Lloyd Carr, led Michigan to its most re- cent national championship in 1997. His father, Jason, donned the winged helmet and played quarterback for the Wolverines in the early '90s. The Carr last name is a blessing, but it can also be a curse. When Carr entered the Saline season opener this past year, his own student section booed him after a couple of er- rant throws. Carr shook it off and led his team to a thrilling victory in The Big House. Some questioned whether Carr had legitimate offers early on or if he just racked them up because of his last name. Carr, though, has more than val- idated the offers with his play on the field. Now, Carr is ranked way too high, according to the critics (he is the On3 Consensus No. 5 quarterback and No. 23 overall player in the class of 2024). Carr just smiles and shrugs it off. The doubts only fuel his fire. From 5 a.m. workouts at Saline when nobody is looking to drives to Chicago to train with quarterback guru Greg Holcomb to joining Sound Mind Sound Body to compete against the best around the country, Carr is all in on silencing the critics. "I'm excited to prove myself," Carr said. "Some people think I might have all the offers because of my last name or that I'm a lock to Michigan. That's pretty far from the truth. I want to blaze my own trail. I want to be great. "I'm here to compete. I'm here to win." That's it. Carr is laser focused on the task at hand. There is no time for anything else. He lives and breathes football — liter- ally. He's grown up around the sport and will stop at nothing from accomplishing his goals. Good luck on finding a more- fiery competitor than this guy. When a coach complained about a call during the tournament, Carr turned around and said a sly comment that made his teammates smile. Carr trash talked through the drive until the referee told him to cool it. Carr quipped with a quick "Yes, sir." After another "questionable call," the opposing coach filed another com- plaint. This time Carr looked back at the guy typing this story and said "Come on EJ, tell him the truth! He's not getting that call here or in a real game." Carr is hilarious in his own way. But he ultimately made his way to Gatlin- burg to do exactly what he said — com- pete and win. Sure, there are rumbles that's he's not a "real Detroit kid." But at the end of the day, Carr is quickly earning the respect of everyone around him. "CJ is doing an excellent job of do- ing what it takes to be a leader," Black- well said. "He's immersed with all the kids from the city and is understanding how to lead all those guys. That's what it takes to go into a college locker room and command guys. "I respect him for that. A lot of kids are afraid of the challenge. I'm looking forward to seeing him finish the year strong. He's a great athlete and comes from a great football pedigree. He's go- ing to be a great quarterback when it's all said and done." ❏ Carr, an elite 2024 quarterback from Saline (Mich.) High who has grown up in the spotlight his entire life, has chosen to immerse himself with the city kids from Detroit by playing with Sound Mind Sound Body, part of his burning desire to compete, and win, against the best. PHOTO BY EJ HOLLAND