CJ Carr Led Notre Dame's 2024 Recruiting Class From Start To Finish
A drama-free early signing day has come and gone for Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame football. Freeman’s 23-man class remained untouched and committed from start to finish this year. It’s a far cry from the eight decommitments Freeman’s 2023 class suffered before signing day arrived.
"Until they actually sign there’s always people pulling at them to say is there a better opportunity for them,” Freeman said while introducing his second recruiting class. "But they stayed committed to each other.”
Maybe the lack of shenanigans this year can be chalked up to the growing pains Freeman and Irish Director of Recruiting Chad Bowden worked through. Or maybe the tone was set by the first commitment in the class, quarterback CJ Carr.
"It’s a well-balanced class but it always starts with the quarterback,” Freeman remarked. "CJ has been our longest commitment. I think he’s the leader of this class and he’s been the one to make sure to keep this class together.”
A total of 559 days, or one year, six months and 11 days, passed between Carr’s June 9, 2022 commitment and his official signing with the rest of the class on Dec. 20, 2023. The only game Freeman had under his belt as a head coach at the time of Carr’s commitment was Notre Dame’s Fiesta Bowl loss to Oklahoma State on New Year’s Day of 2022.
As Freeman spoke of the young quarterback on Wednesday, he recalled their conversation as they sat together on the balcony at The Gug.
"I remember him saying ‘This is where I want to be’ and I said, man, when he left my office I said, ‘That’s the leader you want for your program’,” Freeman recounted. "A guy that says I want to create my own road and as a quarterback that’s what you need. You need a leader and that’s what he was and what he is and I’m excited to see the growth of him.”
The easier choice would have been to follow in the footsteps of his father, Jason, and mother, Tammi, who both graduated from Michigan. Jason played quarterback under his father, Lloyd Carr, who led the Wolverines from 1995 until his retirement in 2007.
"Being a big-time quarterback is enough to elevate a program, which CJ Carr has a great chance to do very early on in his career,” Irish Breakdown recruiting director Ryan Roberts explained. "The unspoken duty of a big time quarterback is also to help recruit and put together a great overall class. From the minute Carr opted for the Irish that impact was felt. Soon after he made his commitment, wide receiver Cam Williams and tight end Jack Larsen did the same. Carr’s relationship with the two that started at the Irish Invasion was huge. That started a chain reaction that led to Notre Dame’s best offensive recruiting class in some time.
"Keeping the class together is also a huge testament to Carr,” Roberts continued. "There wasn’t a lot of drama or cold feet down the stretch, partly due to the new recruiting tactics from the Irish staff but also because Carr is a leader that everyone wanted to follow.”
Carr is one of 19 Fighting Irish signees in the class who had a four- or five-star rating during the recruiting process. They give the 2024 class an 82% blue chip ratio. He is also one of 15 players in the class who will join the Irish as midseason enrollees. Carr has taken the lead there as well. He arrived on campus on Dec. 15 to begin practicing with the team during Sun Bowl preparation.
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