Notre Dame Recruiting Mailbag: All Things Quarterback
I should have known that the mailbag would be littered with a bevy of questions about CJ Carr, the impact of the quarterback position and a little Dante Moore talk. It was so prevalent that we are breaking up the mailbag this week.
This first adaptation is dedicated to quarterback recruiting. Let’s examine the overall quarterback landscape, impact long term, and what the Carr commitment can mean.
The questions come from Irish Breakdown subscribers on the message board.
@acoronel22: Hey IB Team, Super Excited about CJ Carr committing. What can Carr bring to Notre Dame that has been missing from a scheme standpoint? Is it a particular skill set he has? Will it be his deep ball, or his intermediate/short-game throwing ability? Will it be his knowledge of the game? What are you all most excited and impressed with?
Thanks, guys!
It really is a combination of everything. We have heard that Carr’s knowledge of the game is very rare for his age. He sees the game at a very mature level and has a great head on his shoulders. That should allow for the offense to open up to its fullest long term with him under center.
Outside of his football intelligence, Carr is an incredibly accurate quarterback who has shown the ability to threaten all levels of the field. His ability as a deep-ball thrower immediately pops off of the film. He also has outstanding moments working the intermediate areas of the field, as well as working the short game.
There is a smoothness to Carr as a quarterback. He just checks so many different boxes. While he does so much well, it’s really just the full profile. He allows you to attack a defense from every standpoint if he is developed properly.
@ajmullen39: I was listening to the show when CJ Carr committed. You guys said something about his weight, and it made me wonder something. If CJ goes from his current weight and goes up to the 200-210 range by the time he checks in for his freshman year. Assuming this is a good weight, how does it affect his passing? I understand as the core and lower half get stronger the ball will travel further or faster, but how does that extra power affect the short or intermediate game? Does the extra muscle change a quarterback's throwing motion, or I guess I’m wondering, how can more muscle change a quarterback in negative ways? Is there something that a quarterback coach would change or look for as the kid's body matures?
It’s a great question. As long as the weight is being added exponentially and filling out his frame right, there really isn’t much of a concern. The biggest bonuses will be the added core and lower body strength. Most people associate distance with arm strength, which is certainly true. More than anything, however, you’re adding some velocity to the football in many instances.
That most notably improves his ability for him to drive the football in the short to intermediate parts of the field. This can allow him to try some throws that he wouldn’t before, attacking some windows that may have not been possible beforehand. It is especially important when a quarterback is making a jump to the next level. Naturally, windows are going to get tighter with the jump in talent and speed.
Really the main issue you can come against when gaining a substantial amount of weight for a quarterback is adding too fast, too much, and in the wrong areas. Quarterbacks thrive off of flexibility so when they get too bulky, it can make them too tight. That’s when smooth passers get too mechanical.
This can affect their movement skills both inside and outside of the pocket and accuracy. That’s why I’m not overly concerned with the raw number of pounds. It’s more about how much a quarterback's frame can hold comfortably.
@richmoney: It looks like Carnell Tate is pushing the idea that CJ Carr will reclassify. If you are wondering, check out the comments under the Hayes Fawcett IG post of CJ’s commitment. It seems as if someone is in the recruits’ ears pushing nonsense in order to hurt Notre Dame’s chances of landing Dante Moore. Do you think these rumors have any merit? I personally do not, but it looks like they are having an adverse effect on the potential of this 2023 class.
There has been some talk about a CJ Carr reclassification but there isn’t much smoke to that fire right now. I ultimately don’t believe that it happens.
As for the Carnell Tate layer to everything, it seems that he thrives off of controversy. He knows how to play the engagement side of everything. I wouldn’t pay it any mind.
As Bryan stated on Thursday, any reclassification talk is not even in the infancy stage. It isn’t even a real talking point yet.
@florida-irishman: For the record I still want Dante Moore and I think we will land him once the dust settles. I think it will allow us to be more patient and let Moore follow his timeline. That being said, if Notre Dame decides to stop recruiting him.
What are the chances CJ reclassifies? If CJ reclassifies, what are the chances we land another 5-star in 2024? (Julian Sayin as an example)
As I stated above, I think it’s pretty low to be honest. It’s something that has been discussed but I honestly don’t think it would be very beneficial for either side. If Dante Moore is off the table, Notre Dame will still need to sign a 2023 quarterback regardless.
In the chances that the reclassification scenario does play out, the team would be wise to dip back into the 2024 quarterback pool. It looks like a very good class early on. As for Julian Sayin being the guy, I doubt it.
If Carr does reclassify, it won’t be decided for some time now. Sayin has been on the record that he would like to commit before his junior season. The timelines just don’t seem like they would match up for that scenario.
@coreyh416: Are we concerned CJ Carr will stay committed to ND if/when Rees moves onto the NFL? I find it unlikely that Rees will be at ND for two more years, let alone six. Carr mentioned the importance of the relationship with Rees. I know kids are told to commit to the school and not the coaches, but we all know that isn’t always the case.
Thanks for all the hard work y’all do!!
Any time a position coach and offensive coordinator leaves, it’s a talking point without question. Tommy Rees was a major factor in Carr’s recruitment. One thing about Rees, is he’s a very honest guy. I’m sure they have discussed that possibility and Carr is a smart kid, he understands that Coach Rees may have “bigger aspirations” long term.
He has bought into the full picture with Notre Dame. You also can’t undersell how important Marcys Freeman has been in this recruitment either. Carr has bought into the full picture of the program long-term. I don’t think it will be Tommy Rees or nothing got Carr.
@curtis-schmalz: With the commitment of CJ Carr, many are comparing/contrasting him with Dante Moore. It feels like Dante is getting a lot of unfair negativity & criticism because he’s not the type of outgoing, extraverted kid CJ is off the field. CJ being willing to commit early and help recruit the 2023 and 2024 classes is a big bonus, but it seems unfair to expect the same thing of Dante as a 17-year-old kid who’s obviously pretty introverted. How much of a factor is Dante’s personality playing in his decision to wait, compared to things like NIL, family pressure, interest in other schools, etc?
As a follow-up, does the commitment of CJ Carr actually help the situation with Dante by taking pressure off him to be a ‘face of the franchise type of guy, so he can fly under the radar and just go play ball?
It’s a very interesting question. I’ll start it here, there isn’t a one size fits all approach to playing the quarterback position. If anything, that stuff can be way over-evaluated (see Justin Herbert coming out of Oregon). In regards to Dante Moore, I don’t think the personality piece is much of a talking point. He’s soft-spoken but people follow him. There is subtle confidence that can go unnoticed.
I also don’t think that Moore's not being in the class has anything to do with his personality. If it was strictly about where he wanted to be, he would be in the Notre Dame class right now. The fact of the matter is that Dante is still a kid and there are outside factors that he has to consider. I don’t hold it against him at all. He can’t control those factors.
The personalities between Carr and Moore will certainly not appeal to everyone, which shouldn’t be a surprise. I do, however, think it’s a very unfair criticism of Dante Moore.
@jmoore1: Any idea how many commits from this weekend and is CJ Carr having any effect on the 2023 kids yet?
Without giving too much away, it’s more than one. Let’s just leave it there for now.
Yes, CJ Carr is already receiving rave reviews from the 2023 recruits and their parents. Carr was extremely wise to make the trip to South Bend this past weekend. It was well-received by everyone who was on campus.
Considering that Carr just finished up his sophomore campaign, he clearly understands how important his presence is for the program. I’d expect Carr on campus frequently over the next several months as the staff attempts to put together the top overall class for the 2023 cycle.
Be sure to check out the Irish Breakdown message board, the Champions Lounge
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Notre Dame 2022 Roster
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Notre Dame 2023 Class Big Board
Notre Dame 2023 Commits Board - Offense
Notre Dame 2023 Commits Board - Defense
Notre Dame 2023 Scholarship Offers
Notre Dame 2024 Scholarship Offers
Ranking The 2022 Signees - Offense
Ranking The 2022 Signees - Defense
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