Notre Dame Football: Why Gunner Kiel to LSU Is a Good Thing for the Irish
By David Young
(Featured Columnist) on December 27, 2011
When I was growing up, my mom and dad told me that if I was going to say something, I better make sure I did it.
Translation: Gunner Kiel said he would make a decision on or before Christmas as to his college of choice to play football. Christmas came, and Christmas went—and still no decision by Kiel.
Two days after Christmas, Kiel made his decision, and it was LSU.
It may seem like a small thing to many, but that delay told me all I needed to know about Kiel. And that is that he comes across spoiled. I could be way off-base, but I see Kiel as a kid who will have trouble digging deep inside him to tough-out situations when they go wrong.
That's not the kind of player that Notre Dame needs, nor the type that coach
Brian Kelly wants to coach.
Kiel going to LSU is good thing for the Irish because, although a good quarterback, the Irish already have two on their roster who are better fits for the coach Kelly offense. Both Everett Golson and Andrew Hendrix are much better suited to run the Irish offense with both their arms and legs. Notre Dame is also heavily going after a couple of dual-threat QB-recruits in this year's class and the 2013 class.
And here's a huge reason why Kiel not committing to the Irish is good. If Braxston Cave, Jamoris Slaughter, Kapron Lewis-Moore and Sean Cwynar will all be coming back in 2012 as fifth-year seniors, that leaves 23 scholarship positions open; 17 are already occupied by 2012 recruits.
That leaves the Irish with only six scholarships left for 2012. With recruits like Nelson Agholor, Jordan Payton, Jordan Westerkamp, Devonta Neal, Elijah Shumate, Yuri Wright, Josh Garnett, Arik Armstead and Zach Banner still on the board, the last thing the Irish needed was for Kiel to eat up one of those spots.
And if you need one more reason, think of this. If coach Kelly really wanted Kiel at Notre Dame, he probably would have been there.
Coach Kelly is a good evaluator of talent and a good recruiter at positions of need. He played more freshman this year than coach Weis did in his five years.
Coach Kelly knows that he's got good quarterbacks who fit his system already on the roster, and for him, that's what's most important.
Kiel just isn't one of them. Click to expand...
