Notre Dame once made a controversial recruiting decision in favor of CJ Carr – Did the Fighting Irish make the right move? 

Was prioritizing CJ Carr as a recruit the right decision for Notre Dame in the long-term?

Ryan Roberts — National College Football Writer
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Nov 15, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback CJ Carr (13) calls an audible at the line of scrimmage against the Pittsburgh Panthers during the fourth quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Nov 15, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback CJ Carr (13) calls an audible at the line of scrimmage against the Pittsburgh Panthers during the fourth quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

If you think back to the 2024 recruiting class, Notre Dame football made a very early decision to prioritize quarterback CJ Carr. At the time, it was viewed as a controversial decision, by some at least. The controversy did not center around the talent of Carr, but rather about who the Fighting Irish staff decided not to favor. 

The debate was not just about the 2024 class, either, although that was a big conversation point early in the process. Head coach Marcus Freeman and former offensive coordinator Tommy Rees also had to decide how to navigate their 2023 recruiting class at the time, centering around current Oregon signal caller Dante Moore. Carr and Moore were never going to be able to coexist together, even with a year in between them. 

Notre Dame chose Carr, but that wasn’t the only intriguing debate during that time. Prioritizing Carr over all others wasn’t a consensus viewpoint from the Irish fanbase at the time, and that was even true in his own 2024 recruiting class.

CJ Carr vs. Julian Sayin 

Early on in the 2024 recruiting class, Notre Dame was in a really good spot with current Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin. In fact, there was a time when Freeman and the Fighting Irish may have led for the California signal caller. Eventually, Notre Dame chose to cool on Sayin, as well as Clemson quarterback Christopher Vizzina, focusing all their resources on landing Carr. Sayin would end up signing with Alabama, but quickly landed with the Buckeyes after Nick Saban retired.

When you compare the two quarterbacks, both have had a strong start to their careers. Between them, they passed for a combined 6,351 passing yards, while responsible for 59 total touchdowns against 14 interceptions. You can nitpick both players in comparison, Carr leading in some areas, while Sayin led in others. Either way, each did a lot of great things in their first year as starters in 2025.

The future is very bright for both Carr and Sayin. There will always be, however, a comparison between the two for Notre Dame fans.

The Dante Moore debate 

While the Irish held a commitment from Moore before Carr went public, the two were never going to play for the same program. The Moore camp decided that sticking with Notre Dame wasn’t best for Dante, deciding to never go public and decommit. The Michigan native eventually committed to Oregon, but then flipped to UCLA before National Signing Day. It has been quite the ride for the talented signal caller.

After a year with the Bruins, Moore decided to transfer to Oregon before the 2024 college football season. He spent that first season as a backup to Dillon Gabriel, and now has the Ducks in the College Football Playoff in his first year as a starter. So far in 13 games, Moore has thrown for 3,046 yards and 28 touchdowns. He has also added another 196 yards and two scores on the ground as a runner.

It has been a bumpy road for Moore, but honestly, he has needed it. That growth opportunity has allowed him to develop into one of the very best quarterbacks in college football. After the season, Moore will have a decision to make about whether to enter the 2026 NFL Draft or return for one more season.

Did Notre Dame make the right decision?

This situation is one of the rare situations where it may work out for the best for each player. I am not sure that the Irish would trade Carr for either one of the options, and I am also not sure Oregon or Ohio State would either. Without Moore’s brief adversity, there is no telling how successful he would be right now. Sayin, the lesser talent of the three, also landed in an ideal situation with weapons galore.

Carr showed enough in 2025 to validate the decision from the Notre Dame staff. If his first season was just a glimpse of things to come, Irish fans should be very excited about what he can do for an encore next season. The stars feel like they could be aligning for Notre Dame. They have very real National Championship expectations heading into 2026.

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