Slices of Tuna: CJ Carr is ready for the spotlight
Marcus Freeman dishes on his QB, the potential Notre Dame return of his much-maligned predecessor and his "Leave No Doubt" mantra.
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Marcus Freeman met with a handful of us on Tuesday. Let’s take a look at some of the highlights.
1. CJ Carr is competitive as hell
At this time last year, CJ Carr was preparing for a camp quarterback battle that went all the way to the finish line, as he edged out Kenny Minchey.
Now Carr is the talk of the offseason. He is the Heisman favorite, and with that comes plenty of attention, such as when Carr and a Notre Dame contingent made the rounds last week in New York for a media tour.
That meant extended time in close quarters with his head coach and three teammates.
And what exactly has Marcus Freeman learned about his leader from that?
That he’s a chameleon, for one.
And as competitive as they come, in every facet of life.
“He can turn it on when he’s in front of the camera and say the right things, and then off the camera he’s a competitor,” Freeman said Tuesday while meeting with a small group of reporters. “Now, it might be him and Leonard talking about the last workout and who won the offense or defense, and he is a competitive person in everything he does. But he’s learning to be able to be that person when the cameras and people aren’t around, people that he doesn’t know are around. And then, when the cameras are there, he’s able to be the representation of the quarterback at Notre Dame in the right way.
“But he’s a great kid, he is a great young man. Everybody respects him. They like him. But he doesn’t care. He’s surrounded by three defensive dudes. They kept saying four because like (I’m) a defensive guy, too. But he doesn’t care man. He’s a competitor.”
