Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr was being looked at by quite a few schools when he was in high school. The Michigan native, of course, was high on the list of Michigan and Michigan State, but the Irish showed a good amount of interest, too.
Of course, the story is known now that Carr ended up picking Notre Dame, but it wasn't an instant connection to South Bend or even the coach at the time that got Carr to pick the Irish. It was one move that Notre Dame made that sealed the deal for the now star quarterback.
CJ Carr's connection with Marcus Freeman sealed the deal at Notre Dame
When Carr began his recruitment process in high school, Freeman wasn't even the head coach at Notre Dame at the time. It was still Brian Kelly before he made the move to LSU back in late 2021. However, by the time Carr was really getting into the thick of his recruiting process, Freeman had taken over after the Kelly departure, and it made all the difference in the world for Carr.
Carr joined Urban Meyer's podcast, 'The Triple Option,' where he spoke about Notre Dame football, as well as himself and his own recruiting process. Carr admitted that the summer after his sophomore year, he and his family were looking around at all the Midwest schools, and Notre Dame was one they saw, but didn't look too hard at while Kelly was there.
.@13Cjcarr has zero regrets about his decision to join Notre Dame ☘️ @TheEchoesNDpod pic.twitter.com/YeskVtozTr
— The Triple Option (@3xOptionShow) May 5, 2026
It wasn't until Freeman got the job that Carr started to feel more at home at Notre Dame. Carr spoke about everything on the Notre Dame campus that made everything feel special and confirmed he made the right decision, but there is a wonder if he would have ever ended up there without Freeman.
Carr has made it clear that he and Freeman have a special bond and relationship, even saying during the podcast that he knew Notre Dame would be the pick once his mom met the Irish head coach. It just goes to show again that Kelly couldn't take Notre Dame any further, and his leaving was the best thing to happen to the Irish.
Freeman has done a lot at Notre Dame, and choosing Carr as the starter was probably one of his biggest decisions that, to this point, has paid off and could continue to pay off in the 2026 season.
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