Michigan Football: 3 thoughts on QB recruiting in light of CJ Carr

Notre Dame is going to get the commitment of five-star Michigan football legacy CJ Carr and here are some thoughts on QB recruiting for the Wolverines. 

When that first crystal ball dropped for Notre Dame in the recruitment of CJ Carr, it was worrisome but it felt like there was still time to do something about it.

Now, that time has run out.

Carr is expected to announce his commitment to Notre Dame on Thursday as the 2024 five-star QB from Saline, Michigan will spurn the Wolverines.

Of course, there is still a long way to go until signing day 2024, unless Carr re-classifies, and there has been chatter about that, but the Wolverines should continue to recruit him.

A lot can change in a year and a half. But you have to give Notre Dame credit. They prioritized the kid and built a stronger relationship. There could be other factors at play for Carr — we really don’t know.

However, seeing as he’s Lloyd Carr’s grandson, it stings to think about him playing for the golden domers. There have been rumors about Lloyd and Jim Harbaugh having some sort of rift but I don’t know anything about that.

I think Notre Dame just did a better job and here are some thoughts on the fallout for Michigan football, starting with Dante Moore, who is now more important than ever.

What this means for Dante Moore

Make no mistake, Carr committing to Notre Dame would improve Michigan’s chances with Dante Moore — dramatically. Tom Loy of Irish Illustrated reported on the message boards last night (subscription required) that the Irish aren’t even going to recruit Moore anymore.

He hasn’t visited there since March and there hasn’t been much chatter about the Irish, despite the fact that they still led according to On3’s prediction machine. It’s interesting that this push to get Carr to commit comes right after Moore was back on Michigan’s campus.

You can see from Carr’s perspective what a statement it is by Notre Dame to essentially choose him over Moore. Michigan football wasn’t going to do that. Heck, Carr didn’t even get the same treatment in the 2024 class among QBs that Moore did in 2023 from the Wolverines.

Michigan football offered Arch Manning but outside of that, hasn’t offered or recruited another quarterback in 2023. It’s always been about Dante Moore.

But in 2024, that was never true about Carr.

Julian Sayin, Jadyn Davis, and Michael Van Buren have all been on campus this year and have Michigan offers. It might not be a stretch to say that the Wolverines have some of them higher on their board.

Michigan football prioritized Moore over Carr. We’ll see if that works out long term but it was always a stretch to think Moore and Carr would end up at the same school.

The Irish got their guy and Michigan now has to get Moore. If that happens, then the CJ Carr to Notre Dame thing will feel like an afterthought.

That’s the best response. But how likely is it?

Moore is expected to take an unofficial visit to Texas A&M later this month. That’s going to be a key. But the Aggies are also pushing for Jaden Rashada, who is announcing his commitment that same weekend. And if Rashada chooses A&M, that’s good for Michigan.

Oregon is also in the mix for Moore but is also after Rashada, although it’s trending in the wrong direction there, as well as four-star QB Avery Johnson out of Kansas.

Johnson is visiting Oregon that same weekend Rashada is supposed to announce and an Oregon recruiting expert already projected him in the Ducks’ 2023 class.

Oregon would likely still recruit Moore but I don’t see Dante joining a two-QB class. I also don’t see Oregon waiting on his commitment.

Michigan football will.

LSU is another contender and is second according to the On3’s prediction machine, but they are also seeking other QBs and are hosting Purdue commit Rickie Collins, who is from Baton Rouge, this weekend.

The Tigers hosted Moore and he saw Joe Burrow but there hasn’t been much chatter outside of that and Collins seems like a QB that can be flipped (sorry, Purdue).

My biggest concern with Moore was always Notre Dame. I don’t think you can completely count out LSU, Oregon, or even Miami. But Texas A&M worries me the most.

Still, Michigan is sitting in a better spot with Moore and it’s now up to Jim Harbaugh to make it happen.

2024 QB still has attractive options

Another reason not to panic about losing Carr in the 2024 class is that Michigan football is in a pretty solid spot with some really talented quarterbacks.

The Wolverines got five-star Julian Sayin on campus earlier this spring. The top-10 prospect was another QB Notre Dame was expected to contend with and the Irish hosted him three times. However, USC is probably the leader now, but that’s another name to know.

Jadyn Davis is another top-10 prospect in the 2024 class and he was on campus over the weekend. It might be a long shot with a number of heavy hitters involved but getting him for an unofficial visit was a good start.

Michael Van Buren is the 2024 quarterback I’m paying the closest attention to. He’s from St. Frances Academy, where Biff Poggi, an analyst, used to be the head coach and that school has also turned out a bunch of Michigan commits such as Blake Corum, Nikhai Hill-Green, and Derrick Moore in the 2022 class.

The Wolverines have made a strong push in the DMV and Van Buren, despite being 5-foot-11, is a talented dual-threat who could be a great fit for what Matt Weiss wants in a QB.

Van Buren was recently offered by Alabama. Penn State is the leader right now according to the On3 prediction machine but Michigan sits in a good spot and sounds like it should get him on campus for another visit this summer. 

He would be my top priority in 2024 if I was the Michigan coaching staff.

J.J. McCarthy will boost recruiting

One narrative surrounding the CJ Carr recruitment is that Michigan football doesn’t throw the ball enough and that’s one reason Carr chose Notre Dame.

I don’t believe that to be true at all. Michigan football ran the ball a lot last season. It will run the ball a lot this season too. But when J.J. McCarthy becomes the starter, something I think will happen this season, it’s going to turn things up for QB recruiting.

McCarthy is going to be a star. He already showed flashes of it last season. He was Michigan’s best player against Georiga and one of the few who looked like he would start for the other side. He made his error against MSU with the fumble, but also threw a dart against Ohio State and accounted for multiple TDs in multiple Big Ten games.

The offense is also going to open up. The receiver talent is as good as it’s been maybe since the days of Braylon Edwards and that talent is going to get unleashed.

That should help convince Dante Moore if he still needs convincing, as well as others like Carr. It might be too late for him, but say Michigan misses out on Moore but kills it on the field in 2022 and Notre Dame doesn’t. You never know.

Plus, if the run-heavy offense, isn’t so run-heavy with McCarthy playing QB, maybe it would open Carr’s eyes a little bit. A lot of this depends on how Michigan recruits him and I don’t think the Wolverines should give in.

However, the biggest takeaway from Carr trending to Notre Dame is that landing Dante Moore is more important than ever.

Missing on Carr hurts but losing on Carr and Moore, would be an utter failure.