Since CJ Carr committed to the Notre Dame football team, he’s been one of the most celebrated recruiting gets in years. Since taking over as the starting quarterback in just his redshirt freshman season, he’s shown exactly why he was so sought after coming out of high school. However, one analyst recently spilled the beans on who the Fighting Irish would have landed if the grandson of former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr had followed the family path and become a Wolverine.
247Sports analyst Tom Loy chimed in on a conversation between the two hosts of The Echoes podcast. Jessica Smetana and Mike Golic Jr. were talking about Carr’s recent appearance on the Rich Eisen show as part of the Fighting Irish’s “Media Days.” The two were talking not only about how mature and good Carr is, but also how warm-hearted and welcoming his family seems to be. Even to Notre Dame staff, despite being very much a Michigan family.
The pair of hosts also praised former Notre Dame offensive coordinator Tommy Rees, who was seen as integral to getting CJ Carr to commit to the school in South Bend. Loy agreed with the sentiments about Carr’s family and then doubled down on how good a recruiter Rees was. He added that had Rees not been able to lure Carr away from Michigan, the Irish wouldn’t have lost a beat.
“Rees not only had ND in the driver’s seat for CJ Carr,” Loy wrote. “But he was the reason they would have landed Julian Sayin if Carr went elsewhere.”
A) Facts. Carr family is incredible. Welcomed me into their home on commitment day. Been friends for years. Just tremendous human beings.
— Tom Loy (@TomLoy247) July 24, 2026
B) Rees not only had ND in the driver’s seat for CJ Carr, but he was the reason they would have landed Julian Sayin if Carr went elsewhere. https://t.co/UzezmquBTA
Notre Dame football nearly landed Julian Sayin as CJ Carr’s recruiting fallback
Considering that Sayin ended up with Ohio State and is now one of the best quarterbacks in the country, that’s quite a proclamation. Granted, Carr is also among the best, but it does show just how good Rees was at getting incredibly talented quarterbacks into South Bend.
Rees eventually left ahead of the 2024 season and went to the Alabama Crimson Tide. He then took a job with the Cleveland Browns when Nick Saban retired. This past offseason, Rees was promoted to the Browns’ offensive coordinator.
All of this goes to show that while some Notre Dame fans treat Tommy Rees in the same way they talk about former head coach Brian Kelly, it’s really not the same situation. Rees went to work under one of the best coaches in the entire country. He also left South Bend ahead of a young head coach in Marcus Freeman’s second season.
Of course, without Rees’ departure, Notre Dame wouldn’t have gotten Mike Denbrock to come to South Bend. And while Julian Sayin would have been a heck of a commitment, the Fighting Irish are more than happy about having CJ Carr on board. If ND wins a national title, one has to think the 2026 season would be the epitome of “all’s well that ends well.”
Add us as a preferred source on Google