Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM MARCH 2024 41 2024 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE It's an uphill battle for Carr, the No. 6 quarterback in his recruiting class ac- cording to the On3 Industry Ranking, to see the field on Saturday any time soon, skillful as he is. "I have so much room to improve, it's insane," Carr said. "You think you're a good player until you get to college and there's four guys in the room who can do everything you can do." Those who have been around Carr aren't so sure he's just another pawn on the board, though. There are attributes that set him apart. For Notre Dame de- fensive coordinator Al Golden, it's the way Carr throws the ball — just like it was for Hewlett a few years back. "There's one thing that jumps out right away — it's just his arm talent," Golden said after seeing Carr run the scout team prior to the Sun Bowl. Hewlett is over that at this point. For Brady and Manning, Montana and Ma- rino, Rodgers and Mahomes, it's less about what they do with their arms and more about what their arms do for them. Twenty-five years into retirement, Marino is still remembered as the best quarterback ever who never won a Su- per Bowl. Manning and Rodgers didn't win enough. People will knock Ma- homes if he never catches Brady, just like they do Montana for Brady cruising by his championship total. Aptitude at quarterback is better than ever before. What signal-callers execute on the field is mesmerizing, and it isn't just a select few anymore. Expertise is widespread. That in mind, Hewlett has taken to surveying what Carr does off the field. That's where the truly dedicated QBs make up extra ground. There was a quarterback camp at the same facility Hewlett took Carr to for one of their meetups. Carr was not in- volved with the camp, but during breaks in his own training he meandered over to the whiteboard and sat in on X's and O's clinics taught by a total stranger. He didn't care who wielded the Expo marker. He just wanted to immerse himself in football talk. "The most impressive thing about him is his willingness to learn and un- derstand the game," Hewlett said. "From a mental standpoint, that's really a separating factor for him." "Coach Carr" — just like his national championship-winning grandfather, Lloyd Carr, before him — might be a moniker in his future. But for now, he has unfinished business between the white lines. A lot of it. He's taken to a motivational saying offered regularly by former Notre Dame wide receiver Amir Carlisle — "Close the gap." "I'm just trying to beat myself and ev- ery day get one step better," Carr said. ✦ "The most impressive thing about him is his willingness to learn and understand the game. From a mental standpoint, that's really a separating factor for him." ST. AUGUSTINE (FLA.) HIGH ASSISTANT COACH WILL HEWLETT CJ CARR QUARTERBACK 6-3 ∙ 197 SALINE H.S. SALINE, MICH. RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 231 16 4 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 36 2 1 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 50 4 1 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 45 6 1 STATISTICS • Completed 199 of 285 passes for 2,787 yards with 24 touchdowns and 9 interceptions in 11 games as a senior. Also had 40 rushing attempts for 242 yards and 9 scores. • Connected on 222 of 326 throws for 2,685 yards with 26 scores and 5 interceptions as a junior. Also tallied 7 rushing touchdowns in 11 games. • Broke out as a sophomore, connecting on 156 of 242 passes for 2,676 yards with a career-high 28 touchdowns and only 4 interceptions in 10 outings. • Was primarily a reserve as a freshman. Made his first career start against Rockford (Mich.) High in the first round of the Michigan playoffs and completed 20 of 28 throws for 231 yards with 1 touchdown. NOTABLE • Invited to participate in the All-American Bowl, but bypassed it to practice with Notre Dame in December. • Tabbed first-team all-state by the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association in 2022 and 2023, and was named to the Dream Team in 2022. • Earned Division 1-2 second-team all-state acco- lades from the Associated Press in 2022 and 2023, and was a first-team pick in 2021. • Named MLive.com's Ann Arbor Area Player of the Year in 2023 and was listed as a top-10 player in the state in 2022. • Participated in Elite 11 finals the summer prior to his senior campaign. • His father, Jason Carr, played football at Michigan. • Is the grandson of former Michigan head foot- ball coach Lloyd Carr. RECRUITMENT • Committed to Notre Dame on June 9, 2022. • Began practicing with the Fighting Irish during bowl prep in December and enrolled in January. • Also held offers from Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Michigan and Wisconsin. • Recruited by quarterbacks coach Gino Guidugli. • Visited Notre Dame 19 times, including his of- ficial visit on June 17, 2023. 2024 PROJECTION • Expected to redshirt in 2024 before competing for the starting quarterback job in 2025. THEY SAID IT Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman: "I don't know how high his ceiling will be, but it's ex- tremely high. I watched him throw the ball in prac- tice these last couple of days, and he's got a great arm. He processes information and makes decisions at a high level. But he's a freshman. "You'd never know how much time has to be put in to reach your goals. We'll see how much time it will take him. But I truly believe he has such a high ceiling in terms of where he'll be as a football player." Former Saline (Mich.) High coach Joe Palka, now at Adrian College: "He can direct other players. He's a team guy, and CJ has also gotten physically stron- ger since 2022. There's not a throw he can't make, and there's not a play he doesn't think he can make. "Sometimes, I have to settle him down a bit, but that's one of those things you have to live with be- cause he's such a playmaker." On3 director of scouting and rankings Charles Power: "He plays in a high school offense focused on the short passing game. He probably throws more short passes than most of the top quarter- backs I've watched, if not the most. He's coming to Notre Dame very comfortable in operating the quick game. He's a distributor. "Statistically, his senior season was middle to slightly below average among the top On300 quar- terbacks. It's on par with what we saw from him as a junior. There were some encouraging moments, and there were slight improvements throughout the whole season, but maybe not to the level that we saw with others. "We are projecting him to be an NFL Draft pick, and if Notre Dame lands enough of these top-300 quarterbacks, they will have a good starting quar- terback at the end of the day."