Letting CJ Carr Leave The State Of Michigan Might Be Harbaugh's Biggest Recruiting Gaff

The Irish are up.

Notre Dame and Michigan have been cut throat rivals for over a century, and not once has that rivalry waned. With the two prestigious universities having not played each other since 2019, they've been competing on the recruiting circuit.

In 2020, Michigan beat the Irish out by 8 spots in the recruiting rankings. Following that, Notre Dames classes in 2021 and 2022 topped Michigans; and the Irish currently have the number one recruiting class of 2023 while Michigan has the 31st. While the class of 2023 is still getting worked out, the Irish made a splash in the 2024 class. They landed a commitment from 5 star quarterback CJ Carr...the grandson of legendary Michigan coach Lloyd Carr.

247Sports @247Sports

#BREAKING: 5⭐️ 2024 QB CJ Carr has committed to Marcus Freeman and @NDFootball ☘️ @13Cjcarr is the No. 20 overall player in the 247Sports Composite 🔥 @TomLoy247 x @NotreDame247

June 9th 2022

289 Retweets1,954 Likes

How Could Harbaugh Let This Happen?

That really is the billion dollar question at hand; how could Harbaugh let this happen? Carrs first offer came from Michigan when he was a freshman in high school, he lives ten minutes from campus, and I'm going to reiterate this a lot, HIS GRANDFATHER IS LLOYD CARR. If you happen to not know whom Lloyd Carr is, I'll fill you in. He coached Michigan at Michigan from 1980 to 2007 and was the head man from 1995-2007. In that time as the head coach, he won 5 Big Ten titles and 1 National Championship.

I believe that part of the reason that Carr did pick Notre Dame over Michigan is the difference between Notre Dame quarterbacks in the pros vs Michigan quarterbacks. While Irish quarterbacks haven't been spectacular in the NFL, Notre Dame gets guys in the league. Ian Book saw time as a rookie, DeShone Kizer started for a short while in Cleveland, and Jack Coan is on the Colts roster. As for Michigan, Jim Harbaugh hasn't developed quarterbacks into professional players.

I'd also bet that the idea of Harbaugh leaving Michigan was in Carrs head. He was very close to taking the job as the Vikings head coach and we know how the NFL works; next season more head coaching jobs will open up. I wouldn't be shocked to see him leave next year. Marcus Freeman and Tommy Rees on the other hand appear to be in for the long haul in South Bend.

NYG_PETE @nyg_pete

Don’t think there’s enough attention on the fact that Notre Dame is about to land 5 star QB CJ Carr OVER MICHIGAN. This is a guy who lives 10 minutes from Michigan’s campus. Oh, and he’s LLOYD CARR’S GRANDSON.

June 9th 2022

37 Likes

Notre Dame Fans Rejoice

When the announcement of Carrs commitment broke, myself and the rest of the die hard Notre Dame fans took to Twitter to celebrate this absolute W. I'd have to say we were a bit fired up.

Brandon Suarez @bdon300

I was at work during CJ Carr do so forgive me, but this is the face of a guy who will win a Natty at ND ☘️ https://t.co/TMdTdm6fmL

Matt Freeman @mattfreemanISD

Lloyd Carr and CJ Carr #NotreDame https://t.co/x4EWfWwBIc

June 10th 2022

3 Likes

Barstool Irish @BarstoolIrish

LETS GO. HUGE COMMITMENT FROM Class of 2024 5⭐️ QB CJ Carr These next two classes are something special🏈🏈 #freemanera

June 9th 2022

178 Retweets1,608 Likes

While our focus as fans is on the 2022 season and the quarterback battle at hand between Pyne and Buchner, we are thrilled about the commitment from Carr. Getting a jump like this on the class of 2024 while you already have the number one class of 2023 is massive in the future success of Notre Dame football. I'm loving the Marcus Freeman era right about now.