CJ Carr is expected to push Notre Dame toward a College Football Playoff race in the 2026 season after Marcus Freeman’s squad missed the playoff last season. The way Carr is only improving, Notre Dame pulled off the right move by securing the quarterback’s commitment over some major college programs.
Why CJ Carr’s Mom Had to Wait to Meet Marcus Freeman
Freeman and Carr joined the “Bussin’ With the Boys” podcast in an episode released on Tuesday, where the Notre Dame quarterback revealed an interesting detail about his recruitment to South Bend.
“We banned my mom from meeting with (Coach) Free(man) until I knew I was coming here, because we knew the moment she meets Free and they’re in a meeting together, and hears him kind of talk about Notre Dame, like it’s over and I’m not going anywhere,” Carr said. “Then we visited. I know I’m committing, and my mom goes in and meets with him, and he’s got her in tears within five minutes, talking about how he just loves Notre Dame, and the academics are so great.”
At the time of his Notre Dame commitment, Carr also had offers from Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Penn State, Mississippi State, Nebraska, Missouri, Cincinnati, Maryland, West Virginia, Minnesota, Arizona, and Indiana. Carr’s commitment was an especially big recruiting win over Michigan, as he is the grandson of former Michigan football coach Lloyd Carr, who coached the Wolverines to a national championship in 1997. The Notre Dame QB is also the son of former Wolverines QB Jason Carr.
Carr even received his first scholarship offer from Michigan. However, after taking a spring visit to Notre Dame, he knew he wanted to attend. As for his mom’s part in his recruitment, his last visit to Notre Dame before his commitment was when he brought his mom and two of his cousins.
Freeman also acknowledged the role of players’ mothers in their recruitment, referencing his own experience. His son Vinny is a high school senior and has committed to wrestling at Cornell next year. Freeman said he never spoke to Cornell once, but they called his wife over and over, which was key to Cornell landing his son’s commitment.
“Usually, moms are the keys,” Freeman said. “You learn it through time, like selling, it’s when you’re selling your place, but you’re passionate, like, you have to be authentic. You really have to care about what you’re selling. And I do. But boys are, they’re mama’s boys, man, like they want to be tough but (at) the end of the day, boys and moms, man, these guys are mama’s boys, and so I learned that.”
Freeman’s influence was indeed there, as Carr told ESPN following his commitment that his family talked to former Notre Dame offensive coordinator Tommy Rees and Freeman for about 15 minutes. He said his whole family “was in love” and “were smiling from ear to ear” following that conversation, which ultimately led to his commitment.
Carr is now expected to shine brightly once again in 2026 after finishing last season with an 85.9 score in the PFSN College Football QB Impact Metric, ranking No. 23 in the nation.
