CJ Carr was up in a football-loving family in South Bend, Indiana.
His grandfather, Lloyd, was as head coach of the Wolverines and guided them to a flawless season and the 1997 national championship. His father, Jason, was a quarterback at Michigan.
Suggested Videos
The younger Carr now has the opportunity to leave a new legacy for the family that grew up in the most successful college football program at Notre Dame, ranked sixth in the league.
By choosing Carr as the starting quarterback and highlighting the former Michigan prep standout for next Sunday night’s season opener against No. 10 Miami, coach Marcus Freeman put a stop to the quarterback competition Tuesday.
Carr already has a natural voice.
When summer camp started, he stated, “One of my strengths is knowing where to go with the ball and what the defense is doing.” Since my first year here, I believe I’ve improved significantly in that area. The bond I have with my teammates is another asset. Although the coaches and quarterbacks receive most of the credit, the offensive line and the receivers are the ones who actually make all of the plays.
Since Freeman’s decision, media have not been able to reach Carr or his main rival, Kenny Minchey.Freeman hasn’t mentioned anything yet, either.
Last year, Carr made one appearance, playing mop-up duty in a 66-7 thumping at Purdue. However, he has never recorded a carry or thrown a college pass.
Riley Leonard, who guided the Irish to 13 consecutive victories the previous season before losing to Ohio State 34-23 in the CFP national title game, will be replaced by him. The Indianapolis Colts selected Leonard in the April draft.
At first, some believed Leonard’s backup in 2024, the more seasoned Steve Angeli, would be considered. However, Carr and Minchey are in a two-man competition because Angeli transferred to Syracuse in the spring.
And Carr prevailed, just like he had so many times before.
“It’s about decision-making,” Freeman stated, outlining the elements he would take into account. As I often say, when things go well, we’ll give the quarterback credit; when they don’t, we’ll blame him. However, their ability to make decisions and bring everyone together is the only thing they can control.
Carr’s stature at 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds is typical of a quarterback. He was a highly regarded, powerful talent who had just graduated from Michigan’s Saline High School. He possesses superb technique and remarkable precision, according to the scouting report.
He obviously has that family background, even though he might not be the runner Leonard was. In his 20 career games with the Wolverines, his father completed 11 of 23 passes for 114 yards and two interceptions, while Lloyd Carr was Michigan’s coach from 1995 to 2007.
Carr outperformed Minchey in the spring, going 14 of 19 in the Blue-Gold Game with 170 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. With 106 yards and no touchdowns, Minchey was 6 of 14.
But Carr had trouble when summer camp started. Three early interceptions were thrown by him.
“I’ve had trouble with that in the past,” he remarked. It seems like you don’t have time to go out and study the film while you’re out there (on the field) throwing an interception because I’m a very competitive guy who wants to know why things don’t go your way right away. You must go perform the following play. And I believe that’s where I’ve developed.
Additionally, Freeman wants to put his inexperienced, youthful quarterbacks to the test under pressure.
Minchey is in his third season on school, while Carr is only in his second. Minchey completed both of his passes for 12 yards in 2023 and his lone pass for 4 yards against Purdue last season.
Both might have another opportunity to face Angeli. He was just chosen to start for the Oranges, and on November 22, Notre Dame will host Syracuse.
However, Freeman observed two quarterbacks in training who were getting better in the hopes of winning the Irish’s first national title since 1988.
“They’ve both improved, which is the best thing I love,” Freeman remarked. That is the entire purpose of a competition. The level of the competitors can be raised via competition, and this is what has occurred. Those two have significantly improved their performances.
___
Throughout the season, receive poll notifications and AP Top 25 updates. Sign up here. https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-polland AP college footballCollege football: https://apnews.com/hub or
