Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback CJ Carr is one of the biggest reasons the program enters the 2026 college football season as a legitimate national title contender.

The story of how Carr ended up in South Bend, however, required former Notre Dame and now Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Tommy Rees to overcome deep family ties to the Michigan Wolverines. Rees, now the offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons, recently joined

The Echoes podcast with former Notre Dame offensive lineman Mike Golic Jr. and Jessica Smetana to discuss his time with the Fighting Irish, his ascension to the NFL, and some memorable recruiting battles.

The most notable of those stories centered around Carr’s recruitment.

For those unfamiliar with Carr’s background, his grandfather is former Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr. His father, Jason Carr, played football for the Wolverines, and his mother is also a Michigan graduate. With ties that deep to Ann Arbor, Michigan was always assumed to be the team to beat for the talented signal caller.

How Rees won CJ Carr over

Rees went into detail on the podcast about the first time he encountered Carr and why he knew the young quarterback was special. When asked about the recruitment, Rees said:

“I remember exactly the first time I met CJ,” Rees said. “He was just finishing his freshman year of high school, and he was at our camp throwing. He was obviously talented, but I knew his family and his lineage, all of that. I just remember him being in line. He had a little bit of prick to him. He was talking a little bit and had a little edge to him. And I’m like, all right, I really like this kid.

“Then he started throwing, and he was talented,” he continued. “He had a little bit of prick to him. He was talking a little bit and had a little edge to him, and I’m like, alright, I really like this kid. Then he started throwing, and he was talented. He would pull receivers over, talk to them, make sure he was going with the right guy. There was something about him, about how you want your quarterback to be wired. That’s what it looks like. And for a 15-year-old kid to already act like that, it really stood out. I told them, I told him, until you tell me you’re going to Michigan, I’m going to recruit you like your last name isn’t Carr.”

Obviously, Rees’s efforts paid off in the end, eventually landing Carr in the 2023 recruiting class.

A monumental recruiting victory for Notre Dame

Landing Carr stands as one of the more significant recruiting victories in recent Notre Dame history, and Rees was the driving force behind it.

Without Rees, Carr would not have committed to the Fighting Irish. The program did face a challenge in keeping Carr in the class after Rees opted to leave for the Alabama Crimson Tide following the 2022 college football season, but the rest is history at this point.

Heading into the 2026 college football season, Notre Dame is considered a huge contender to win a national championship.

A big reason for that optimism is Carr coming off his redshirt freshman campaign, where he threw for 2,741 yards and 24 touchdown passes while throwing just six interceptions and completing over 66% of his passes. The 6-foot-2, 215-pound quarterback is considered one of the best in all of college football heading into the year.

Rees’s lasting impact on the Fighting Irish

Notre Dame fans need to thank Rees for initially getting Carr to South Bend. The relationship between Rees and Notre Dame has been a little complicated over the years. His departure for Alabama created some turbulence, and he served the program under both former head coach Brian Kelly and current head coach Marcus Freeman in different capacities as a quarterback, quarterback coach, and offensive coordinator.

Leaving the Fighting Irish with the best quarterback they have had in quite some time is a fitting way to remember what Rees did for the program — and Carr’s presence on the 2026 roster is proof of that legacy.