Nation’s top QB recruit finally chooses his college

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Mega recruit Gunner Kiel, the number two quarterback recruit according to both ESPN 150 and Under Armour 150, has de-committed from LSU this week and will reportedly enroll at Notre Dame for the spring term.

Kiel, from Indiana, originally committed to his home-state Hoosiers before deciding on LSU. Kiel’s soap opera-like college courtship was trending nationwide on Martin Luther King Day on Twitter,which shows just how important he can be to any program.

Kiel, at 6’3″ and 215 lbs, is considered to have excellent arm strength, along with knowledge of the game and the position. According to ESPN.com, Kiel has received scholarship offers from Colorado, Florida, Oklahoma, Georgia, Michigan, Illinois, Missouri, Vanderbilt, Wisconsin, Alabama, Cincinnati, Purdue, TCU, Tennessee, Iowa, USC, and of course, LSU, Indiana and Notre Dame.

Early reports indicated a number of possible reasons for Kiel’s decision to rescind his commitment to LSU. One thought is that he learned upon arrival that he would be low on a depth chart of quarterbacks from the Tigers, while at Notre Dame, he could compete for a starting job as a true freshman.

Another reason is location. Kiel lives in Columbus, Indiana. Notre Dame, in South Bend, is a four-hour drive north for members of the Kiel family, while LSU is 14 hours away.

This news has possiblly huge ramifications for Kiel, Notre Dame, LSU, and the entire Southeastern Conference. This de-commitment means the SEC lost a recruit that it normally sews up with relative ease.

For Notre Dame, this only muddies the most unclear quarterback situation amongst major college football programs. The Irish now have four possible players that could legitimately contend for the starting role come fall.

Tommy Rees has started two bowl games and has a record of 12-5. Despite his solid performance as a true sophomore, Rees’ critical interceptions and lack of toughness in important games, including Notre Dame’s bowl game against Florida State, could hurt his chances.

Andrew Hendrix, who will be a junior next year, also has seen limited playing time. He came in as a wildcat-type quarterback in certain games. When coach Brian Kelly benched Rees against Stanford, Hendrix came in and performed well. However, in the Champ Sports Bowl, Hendrix played poorly.

Evert Golson, a redshirt freshman last year, comes with a lot of hype and promise. He, too, was a mega recruit, and Golson was many fans’ and analysts’ choice for the position heading into the fall.

Notre Dame quarterbacks face unique challenges such as a full, intense course load, along with the mystique of playing at the hallowed ground shared by greats such as Joe Montana, Tim Brown and Jerome Bettis. The most important trait that Notre Dame quarterbacks must have is mental toughness. Dayne Crist, Jimmy Clausen and Tommy Rees all seemed to lack this.

Whichever quarterback wins the starting job will have earned the mental toughness before the first game of the season — which happens to be no big deal, just a historic rivalry in Dublin, Ireland, against the United States Naval Academy.

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