The biggest reason, I think, is entirely Notre Dame’s fault — but certainly not one that I wish was different. The reason is his [Deuce] path to playing time. If C.J. Carr is the truth, and there are plenty of reasons to think that he has a chance to be, the starting job would be open in 2027.
No elite QB in this day and age wants to sit for two years. You can argue all you like about “a real elite QB wouldn’t be scared of competition,” and all of that jazz — but I don’t care. It’s not my problem, and the problem actually favors Notre Dame’s program.
The narrative of it all sucks quite a bit, but in the end, I’m not sure how much it will really matter. Then again… I could be completely wrong, and it’s just another in a long line of recruiting “what ifs”.
I still hold most of that to be true, but in recruiting, it’s never one thing or two things — it’s actually a lot of things. In the 247 Eric Thomas piece linked at the top of this story, Thomas included a comment from an unammed source that is going to sting Irish fans a little bit:
“(I) can’t blame Notre Dame for Deuce…Never go against LSU, Ole Miss, Auburn, or Alabama when it comes to a deep south player with no connection to the north,” the source said.
“That was their big mistake. They should’ve gone after the kid from California who wanted to come.”
That “kid from California” is, of course, Bear Bachmeier. That ship has sailed, and now Notre Dame has a quarterback issue again. Even if C.J. Carr is “the truth” — every cycle counts. The Irish have to keep loading up, or they will face the same challenges of going into the transfer portal for another mid-ACC talent.
The Irish are back at 22 commitments again, and the class is now ranked as the 13th best class in the country according to the 247 Composite Team Rankings.
