The grandson of a former Michigan Wolverines head coach is taking over as quarterback at a rival school.
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish named redshirt freshman CJ Carr as their new starting quarterback on Tuesday. Carr is the grandson of legendary former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr.
Our starting QB#GoIrish☘️ pic.twitter.com/vFi9pxeMeg
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) August 19, 2025
Carr beat out sophomore Kenny Minchey to win the job, and will make his first start for the Fighting Irish when they face Miami on Aug. 31.
A former four-star recruit, Carr redshirted for the Fighting Irish last season. His ties to Michigan run deep, as his father Jason also played football for the Wolverines, according to CJ’s Notre Dame bio. He also attended Saline High School, which is not far from Ann Arbor.
Michigan did pursue Carr in recruiting, but he was quite set on going to Notre Dame early on, having committed in 2022. He even got his grandfather to reluctantly wear a Notre Dame hat after he committed.
The Notre Dame-Michigan football rivalry dates back to the 1800s, though they only started playing annually in the 1970s. The two teams have not played since 2019, with the Fighting Irish taking the biggest share of the blame for the end of their annual meeting.
The two teams are scheduled to meet again in 2033, meaning Carr will not have to worry about taking on his grandfather’s school unless they meet in a playoff or bowl game.
Michigan fans may not like seeing a member of the Carr family playing for Notre Dame, but one of their players snubbed an even greater rival by choosing to play for Michigan.
