CJ Carr and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish get their 2026 college football season underway on Sunday night, Sept. 6, against the Wisconsin Badgers.
It’s a campaign set with massive expectations for Carr, who is one of the top returning quarterbacks in the country.
Notre Dame will be aiming for the College Football Playoff, and not just to get there. They’ll want to win the whole thing.
Carr isn’t a stranger to expectation. He’s got one of those last names that makes football fans wonder about all sorts of relations.
Turns out, Lloyd Carr is in his family tree, but the NFL quarterbacks Derek Carr and David Carr are not.
How Is CJ Carr Related To Lloyd Carr?
C.J. Carr is the grandson of Michigan coaching legend Lloyd Carr.
It of course created quite the irony when C.J. chose the Fighting Irish over the Wolverines.
Incredibly, C.J.’s maternal grandfather is Tom Curtis. Curtis was an All-American safety for Michigan and is also in the College Football Hall of Fame.
And Carr’s dad, Jason, was a backup quarterback for the Wolverines from 1992 through 1995.
That’s a lot of Michigan connection for a dude that plays for Notre Dame.
CJ Carr’s Michigan Brother
The Carr family did end up with one of Lloyd’s grandsons at Michigan.
CJ’s younger brother, Tommy Carr, is now part of the program with the Wolverines.
Is CJ Carr Related To Derek or David Carr?
No, C.J. Carr is not related to Derek Carr, the long-time NFL quarterback.
That means he also isn’t related to David Carr, the former No. 1 overall pick who is Derek’s brother.
Those Carr brothers are from California, not part of the same lineage.
More To Know About CJ Carr
For starters, what’s the CJ stand for? This is Curtis Jason Carr.
He’s from Saline, Michigan, and that’s where he played his high school football as a four-star recruit.
As a high school senior, CJ Carr threw for 2,754 yards and 24 touchdowns.
His first season on Notre Dame’s campus was 2024, and he got to redshirt while Riley Leonard started for the Fighting Irish.
Carr won the job in 2025. Leonard had gone to the NFL, and Steve Angeli transferred to Syracuse.
In the summer, Carr beat out Kenny Minchey, and he ran with the gig.
CJ went 10-2 while completing 66.6% of his passes. He threw for 2,741 yards and 24 touchdowns while tossing just six interceptions. Carr also ran for three touchdowns.
Carr is likely a strong NFL Draft prospect when he chooses to leave Notre Dame, but he won’t want to start thinking too much about that until he can first deliver his biggest goals on campus at Notre Dame.
How Notre Dame QB CJ Carr Relates to Lloyd Carr Compared to Derek, David