Michigan legend Lloyd Carr's grandson, CJ Carr, was a mere 10-year-old boy when he lost his younger brother to a brain tumor. His five-year-old brother, Chad, underwent multiple rounds of radiation but didn't survive the treatment.

Carr still remembers his brother even today, reminiscing about the latter's impact on his life.

"We’ve been through it together, leaned on each other. We get our strength from each other. Even at such a young age, Chad showed all of us what true strength is. He’s with me every time I step onto the field. He’s with all of us," CJ told reporter Chris Low.

To celebrate his brother's life, Carr shared a touching note to mark the 10^th anniversary of his brother’s passing. Carr wrote a tribute to his brother, titled "100 Years of Love in 5 Years of Life,” which was shared in the Players’ Tribune.

CJ's parents, Jason and Tammy Carr, had also honored Chad by setting up the ChadTough Foundation in 2025, aimed at making breakthroughs in brain cancer research for children.

While speaking to Low, CJ also shared how his brother would have been happy with him choosing Notre Dame over Michigan, unlike the rest of his family. CJ's father (Jason), grandfather (Lloyd), and maternal grandfather (Tom Curtis) all wore the deep blue and maize.

CJ's younger brother is also embarking on his career with the Wolverines. So it's a legacy with the Wolverines for the Carr family. However, the family tradition was broken when CJ went to Notre Dame back in 2022.

This move has been bearing dividends for Carr, as his stardom has only grown with the Irish.

NFL Analyst Praises Carr's "Aggressiveness"

Notre Dame missed out on the College Football Playoff in 2025, but this year things look promising. More so now that freshman CJ Carr will be back after redshirting.

Steve Palazzolo of the 33rd Team gave Carr full marks based on the skills he has shown.

"I just think Carr, being a redshirt freshman last year, I thought he did a really nice job. He’s got some aggressiveness to him. I think he’s got enough tools. I just think he’s gonna develop and be in this mix in the first round, whenever that is, whether it’s this year or next year," said Palazzolo.

Palazzolo's analysis makes sense. Carr completed 66.6% of his passes last season for 2,741 yards. Furthermore, he threw 24 touchdowns with just six interceptions.

This time, the Irish won't have the services of Jeremiyah Love to back them. Love has already moved over to the NFL to play for the Arizona Cardinals, and so has Jadarian Price. So quite a lot of weight will be on Carr to lead his team now that he is going to be the main man.

Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman also has a lot of faith in CJ.

“He plays the game with no fear and never steered away from forging his own path," Freeman said about his protege.

So far, CJ hasn't let him down either, and the talented QB is ready to shine yet again.

Read more at the Michigan Football Community.

Written by

Sourav Ganguly

Edited by

Arundhoti Palit