2024 5* QB CJ Carr committing on Thursday

Submitted by njvictor on June 6th, 2022 at 2:25 PM

Link

We are in his top schools, but the timing of this commitment announcement and the crystal balls are in Notre Dame's favor. There has been talk of Carr reclassifying and I'm wondering if he's trying to commit and reclassify before the Dante Moore would theoretically commit

BTB grad

June 6th, 2022 at 2:27 PM ^

“I’ve known for awhile where I want to go,” Carr told 247Sports. “I’m excited to get this out there and start recruiting for that school.”

You’d really think that quote would signal Michigan being that his grandfather is Lloyd Carr and his dad Jason Carr. Would be really odd to miss out on him. 

1VaBlue1

June 6th, 2022 at 3:31 PM ^

LOL!!  You'd think so, yes...  Aside from the obvious ChadTough connection, his grandfather is Lloyd - as in Lloyd Carr, national championship winning Michigan football coach.  And his dad is Jason Carr, as in Michigan QB Jason Carr.

But sadly, it appears he'll end up in Hell, err, I mean, Notre Dame.

Blue in Paradise

June 6th, 2022 at 4:18 PM ^

That's not fair.  He doesn't owe anybody anything.  Michigan supports the Chad Tough foundation because it is the right thing to do - that shouldn't have any impact on CJs decision.

 

However, it is weird that he would pick one of the rivals given the family connections to Michigan.  If we were talking Bama or Georgia, then I could totally understand and would wish him the best and even root for him.  Why pick Notre Dame of all places?

MGoStretch

June 7th, 2022 at 12:50 PM ^

Truth, completely agree that (obviously) supporting his brother and family is the right thing to do, no strings attached, no expectations whatsoever. It’s interesting to me that people think that would weigh in. My initial thought was just the opposite. I imagine what he went through during his brother’s treatment could be something he might want to keep separate from his college playing days. I’m any case, it’s his call.

drjaws

June 6th, 2022 at 2:55 PM ^

“I’ve known for awhile where I want to go”

Maybe Michigan has also known where he wanted to go and it wasn't to AA so they've been going after Moore a lot harder.

Not sure why people want to see this as a Michigan recruiting failure. For all we know he's had M in the top 5 for family reasons, but always wanted to make a name for himself somewhere else where his grandfather's legacy isn't plastered everywhere. 

Blue in Paradise

June 6th, 2022 at 4:25 PM ^

I know I am repeating my last comment but it is very odd that he would go to one of 3 rival schools.  I can totally understand going to a national power, I'll even throw an Oklahoma or USC to the Bama / Georgia list from my last post.  Those totally make sense as far as exposure and NFL opportunities. 

I think most Michigan fans can understand wanting to make your own way and would root for him at one of those schools.  But why would he pick Notre Dame?  It is a weird choice for someone with such strong Michigan ties.

In any event, Michigan is going after a bunch of 2024 QB targets so they obviously already know the answer.

Double-D

June 6th, 2022 at 9:18 PM ^

Makes sense to me.

High academic school in the Midwest with a great football tradition.  Michigan and ND are at the top of that list.

I don’t see it as an F U but more of a likelihood that the Carr family is just not that close with Harbaugh.

We did just have Jadyn Davis in who is ranked much higher at #2 QB in the same class. 

Jkidd49

June 6th, 2022 at 3:37 PM ^

only at UM could you have the most successful year in a decade, vanquish you nemesis, retain your head coach and then also some how have your recruiting be in the worst shape in a decade (including the cold shoulder treat of not 1 but 2 5star in-state QB's)

 

wolve1972

June 6th, 2022 at 4:03 PM ^

A ton of 247 CBs coming in for Carr to ND. Disappointing but this just means we have to get Moore now - no ifs, maybes or buts about it.

Like you, I'm disappointed in our recruiting, especially after thumping the Suckeyes, the B1G championship and making Playoffs year last year. We should be KILLING it right now. Mystifying at best

Perkis-Size Me

June 6th, 2022 at 4:45 PM ^

"Mystifying at best."

---

If you think about it, it's really not. Harbaugh's flirtation with the NFL negated a lot of the progress Michigan would've otherwise made on the recruiting trail this year. Granted, he's shown some interest in the past, but this season it was on a whole other level. He actively went out and interviewed and gave all the signs that if he was offered the Vikings job, he was taking it.

That's going to get used against him on the recruiting trail for quite a while. Marcus Freeman, Ryan Day, Mel Tucker, James Franklin, and everyone else under the sun can and will tell any recruit who is also considering Michigan "Why do you want to play for a guy who may not even be there next year? Come play for me, I actually want to be at my school." 

It also did not help that Michigan lost both of its coordinators and had to shift several position coaches around and bring new guys in to maintain/establish relationships. 

Luckily, none of what happened with losing momentum on the recruiting trail over the last 4-5 months is beyond repair. Essentially, two things need to happen:

1) Harbaugh needs to mean it when he says that this was the last flirtation he will have with the NFL. If he's here long enough, and enough seasons go by to where he does not show any interest, this will sort of take care of itself, and the negative recruiting will start to lose meaning with recruits and their families. 

2) The harder part is he will need to continue replicating what he did this past season. He will need to find ways to beat OSU. He will need to win the Big Ten and make the CFP. 

If he can make the first one happen and continue the second one, the recruits will come, and the last 4-5 months will become ancient history. 

AlbanyBlue

June 6th, 2022 at 5:05 PM ^

Yep, Perkis has it. Negative recruiting against Michigan is so simple right now:

"Son, that team Michigan had their best season in 25 years, and then their head coach tried to leave -- and only came back because he got no NFL offers. After their best season in a quarter-century, BOTH their coordinators left, and a bunch of their recruiting staff left. Doesn't it seem like there's something weird there?"

It literally writes itself.

I don't understand the mass exodus, it doesn't make sense to me, it makes me mad, but it was a real thing. And smart coaches will use that.

mchicagoblue

June 6th, 2022 at 5:51 PM ^

Notre Dame actually did lose their coach this off-season and all he's done since he left is tell the world what a dump ND is relative to the big boys. Kelly left a job where he had it made for one where he's going to be in the same division as Nick Saban and if he doesn't win a national title in the next 5 years, he's getting fired. And yet, Notre Dame is able to recruit. Negative recruiting's not an excuse for Michigan. The staff just sucks.

AlbanyBlue

June 6th, 2022 at 6:13 PM ^

This line of thinking makes sense, but I would add that ND replaced a pretty unlikeable coach with a coach who appears to be an excellent recruiter. I argue that this scenario is better for ND than Michigan's appears to be for Michigan.

In addition, this was not the first off-season flirtation Jim had with the NFL. 2021 was at least his second attempt to leave.

This does not even factor in the loss of both Michigan coordinators and significant losses among the recruiting staff. When fans (including myself) look at this and go "WTF??", it's easy to plant that thought in the heads of recruits.

Perkis-Size Me

June 7th, 2022 at 9:58 AM ^

Jury is out on Marcus Freeman. Only in-game head coaching experience he has right now is blowing a two touchdown lead in the Fiesta Bowl. 

Granted, that is nowhere close to a full story on his coaching abilities, and you can absolutely make the argument that it wasn't really his team, but we can't / won't know how good of a coach he really is until probably 2-3 years from now, when he has fully implemented his system and has 2-3 classes of "his guys."

As someone else above me said, recruiting is only half the game. If he's getting beat up by Lincoln Riley, Dabo Swinney, or getting taken to the woodshed by the other big name programs he'll be taking on at ND (OSU is on the schedule the next two years as well), then he'll have a much harder time recruiting. 

mackbru

June 6th, 2022 at 4:56 PM ^

This could also mean he suspects Dante Moore will be in next year's class at Michigan, thereby blocking his path for 2-3 years. ND is considered Michigan's biggest rival for Moore, so it's unlikely Carr would commit to ND if he thought Moore was going to be the entrenched starter there. Do the recruiting math.

Ncblue61

June 6th, 2022 at 5:29 PM ^

If he does choose ND, maybe just maybe that’s where he always wanted to go. Didn’t Logan Brown always want to go to Wisconsin?

BoFan

June 6th, 2022 at 9:30 PM ^

- HOF coach

- 2 QBs

- Grandpa name all over university 

- Multiple Carr fundraisers

- Name on hospital wing

And B10 Championship program.  

It’s a shocking loss of a legacy.  

The only thing might be that he grew up basically in town, so maybe he just wants to move away from home for college like just about all kids. 

LakeWylieBlue

June 6th, 2022 at 7:28 PM ^

I don't understand how alot of things relative to this years recruiting. The one thing I do know is we aren't looking too good right now. Hoping things change. OSU, MSU and ND all have the mojo and we are left wondering WTAF

shoes

June 6th, 2022 at 8:26 PM ^

He should go wherever he wants, of course. I'm not going to worry about someone who doesn't want to come to Michigan, My energy will be spent cheering for those who do want to come.

Red is Blue

June 7th, 2022 at 7:23 AM ^

Best wishes to the kid.  I'd like to see him go Blue, but totally get that he may want to go on his own path.  Does a miss here sting, sure.  But, I don't see a late teen following his own path as some harbinger of total failure by the Michigan staff.  Don't know what kind of recruiting job the Michigan staff did, but you're going to lose out on recruits even if you do everything perfectly.

As far as negativity recruiting Michigan because of Harbaugh's interest in the NFL, it seems like a pretty easy thing to address up front.  Yes, Harbaugh was interested in the NFL, but he was open and honest about that and he is also honest about being done with NFL interest.