CJ Carr took over as Notre Dame's starting quarterback as a redshirt freshman. Could his brother, Tommy, walk the same path at Michigan? After the Wolverines' spring game on Saturday, there's a better chance than anyone would have given him earlier in the spring.
Carr was billed as a "pleasant surprise" for most of the spring. However, when head coach Kyle Whittingham said that sort of thing earlier in practice, it felt like lip service. Tommy was one of only two healthy quarterbacks. His performance on Saturday showed he's the real deal.
Star Notre Dame quarterback has a brother who could start for a Power 4 rival
"I know it's still pretty early in his career, but what he's doing out there relative to his experience level out here, I think, is pretty impressive," Whittingham told the assembled media after the scrimmage.
Not that it's a surprise to Carr himself. The former Miami (Ohio)Â commit didn't get an offer from Michigan until late in the recruiting process. He never got an offer from Notre Dame. There was never a chance to play alongside his brother. The Wolverines, thanks in part to his family ties (his grandfather is former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr), are the only other school he would've considered after he'd pledged to the RedHawks. Now he's in Ann Arbor with motivation to prove he's the quarterback he believes himself to be.Â
Tommy Carr and CJ Carr could both one day lead Power 4 programs
Can Tommy Carr follow Notre Dame-leading QB brother's example?
All through high school, I was pretty under-recruited," Carr told the media after the spring game. "I didn't really understand why, but I can't control that, so I just definitely have a chip on my shoulder trying to prove everyone wrong."Â
Tommy Carr practiced against the backups for most of the scrimmage, and Bryce Underwood enters the fall of 2026 as the unquestioned starting quarterback for Michigan. Still, Underwood has struggled at times, including in the scrimmage. There's also an opportunity for Tommy to do what his brother did at Notre Dame. Learn the offense, learn his team, and bide his time. Next year could be his redshirt freshman season, depending on how much he plays in 2026. Can he copy CJ Carr's rise? It's not out of the question.
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