How did star quarterback CJ Carr end up with Notre Dame over Michigan? A former fighting Irish assistant tells the full story.
atozsports.com
Former Notre Dame assistant tells the real story about how star QB CJ Carr ended up with the Fighting Irish
How did star quarterback CJ Carr end up with Notre Dame over Michigan? A former fighting Irish assistant tells the full story.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback CJ Carr is one of the biggest reasons the program enters the 2026 college football season as a legitimate national title contender.
The story of how Carr ended up in South Bend, however, required former Notre Dame and now Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Tommy Rees to overcome deep family ties to the Michigan Wolverines. Rees, now the offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons, recently joined
The Echoes podcast with former Notre Dame offensive lineman Mike Golic Jr. and Jessica Smetana to discuss his time with the Fighting Irish, his ascension to the NFL, and some memorable recruiting battles.
The most notable of those stories centered around Carr’s recruitment.
For those unfamiliar with Carr’s background, his grandfather is former Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr. His father, Jason Carr, played football for the Wolverines, and his mother is also a Michigan graduate. With ties that deep to Ann Arbor, Michigan was always assumed to be the team to beat for the talented signal caller.
How Rees won CJ Carr over
Rees went into detail on the podcast about the first time he encountered Carr and why he knew the young quarterback was special. When asked about the recruitment, Rees said:
“I remember exactly the first time I met CJ,” Rees said. “He was just finishing his freshman year of high school, and he was at our camp throwing. He was obviously talented, but I knew his family and his lineage, all of that. I just remember him being in line.
He had a little bit of prick to him. He was talking a little bit and had a little edge to him. And I’m like, all right, I really like this kid.
“Then he started throwing, and he was talented,” he continued. “He had a little bit of prick to him. He was talking a little bit and had a little edge to him, and I’m like, alright, I really like this kid. Then he started throwing, and he was talented. He would pull receivers over, talk to them, make sure he was going with the right guy. There was something about him, about how you want your quarterback to be wired. That’s what it looks like. And for a 15-year-old kid to already act like that, it really stood out. I told them, I told him, until you tell me you’re going to Michigan, I’m going to recruit you like your last name isn’t Carr.”
.
.
.
continued
Re: He had a little bit of prick to him.
