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Everyone knew there would be a quarterback competition at Notre Dame heading into the fall. How many knew it would be between redshirt freshman DeShone Kizer and incoming true freshman Brandon Wimbush is the true question.
The departure of Everett Golson to Florida State via the graduate transfer rule upended the balance of Notre Dame’s depth chart at quarterback. Suddenly, Malik Zaire sits alone at the top while his future backup remains unclear. But Wimbush, who will arrive to campus in June, is preparing himself for the increased timetable.
“I was really shocked,” Wimbush said to the media upon hearing word of Golson’s transfer. “I had the mindset of coming in and redshirting and being able to learn and get acclimated for a year. With [Golson’s transfer], my mind changed immediately.”
Now that the battle lines are drawn, it’s time to get better acquainted with the combatants.
QB, DeShone Kizer
The six-foot-four-inch, 230 pound Toledo, OH native was a 4-star recruit rated as the No. 9 dual-threat quarterback in the nation coming out of high school, and held offers from the likes of Alabama, LSU and Michigan State. According to head coach Brian Kelly, Kizer’s signing represented a turning point within Notre Dame’s program.
“[DeShone’s] going to be able to do the multidimensional things that we love,” Kelly said after receiving Kizer’s signed letter of intent on National Signing Day. “All three of the quarterbacks, we finally – all do the same things.”
Though listed as a 4-star, Kizer’s skill set was closer to the 3-star side of the spectrum than the 5-star coming out of high school, but was still a coveted prospect due to his high ceiling. The former Toledo Central Catholic standout possesses a large frame as well as mobility, and though he didn’t produce eye-popping numbers in high school, his status as a multisport athlete led some analysts to label Kizer as a raw prospect with huge upside once fully focused on football.
The downside to Kizer’s game can be found in his inconsistency. He arrived to South Bend needing to improve his footwork, which is largely responsible for his occasionally inaccurate throws. And through no fault of his own, Kizer’s opportunity to improve was stunted due to the quarterback competition between Golson and Zaire, leaving DeShone with very limited practice repetitions.
QB, Brandon Wimbush
Wimbush, a six-foot-one inch, 212 pound native of Jersey City, NJ was a 4-star recruit tabbed as the No. 4 dual-threat quarterback in the country this past recruiting cycle. His talent led some of the nation’s best programs – such as Alabama, LSU and Ohio State – to offer scholarships and was impressive enough that Kelly launched a full press to successfully poach Wimbush from the list of Penn State commitments.
“As a quarterback you have to have a presence, and he has an incredible presence and a leadership about him where he makes others around him better,” Kelly said about his most recent quarterback signee. “He lights up the room. He’s a thermometer guy.”
While Kelly may praise Wimbush’s leadership potential, his physical ability shined during his senior year at St. Peter’s Prep where he completed 76-percent of his passing attempts with 22 touchdowns compared to one lone interception. The New Jersey prep star also showcased his dual-threat ability by averaging over 11 yards per carry on the ground. Those physical tools earned him praise during practice week at this year’s Under Armour All-America game, where analysts raved about his lively arm strength.
Though it’s difficult to determine a “downside” to Wimbush’s ability prior to his enrollment at Notre Dame, Wimbush did struggle during the actual Under Armour All-America all-star game. He completed only three of his six passing attempts for 44 yards and one interception, appearing uncomfortable with the increased speed of the competition.
True freshman Brandon Wimbush may be more physically gifted and college-ready coming out of high school than DeShone Kizer was, but Kizer has the added benefit of one full year within Kelly’s system, even if Kizer has lacked practice repetitions to date.
Overall, Kelly would undoubtedly still prefer to redshirt Wimbush his first year on campus. Preserving a year of eligibility creates extra separation between Zaire (three years of eligibility) and Kizer (four years of eligibility) as well as providing needed stability to the position. Wimbush besting Kizer for the No. 2 spot this early could make Kizer a transfer risk, which would be a major setback for Notre Dame’s depth chart as Kelly and staff’s main quarterback target for this recruiting cycle, Dwayne Haskins, committed to Maryland just recently. Despite the benefits of Kizer securing the backup position behind Zaire, Kelly will allow the competition to settle itself, and if Wimbush is the better option, he’ll get the nod.
Notre Dame fans that were looking for a quarterback competition to track this fall will still have one – just not the one they expected.
Scott Janssen is a blogger for the Huffington Post and has written several nationally-featured articles, including an appearance on MSNBC as a sports contributor. He talks football 24 hours a day, much to the chagrin of his wife and those around him. Scott can be reached at scottjanssenhp@gmail.com orfollow him on Twitter.
Everyone knew there would be a quarterback competition at Notre Dame heading into the fall. How many knew it would be between redshirt freshman DeShone Kizer and incoming true freshman Brandon Wimbush is the true question.
The departure of Everett Golson to Florida State via the graduate transfer rule upended the balance of Notre Dame’s depth chart at quarterback. Suddenly, Malik Zaire sits alone at the top while his future backup remains unclear. But Wimbush, who will arrive to campus in June, is preparing himself for the increased timetable.
“I was really shocked,” Wimbush said to the media upon hearing word of Golson’s transfer. “I had the mindset of coming in and redshirting and being able to learn and get acclimated for a year. With [Golson’s transfer], my mind changed immediately.”
Now that the battle lines are drawn, it’s time to get better acquainted with the combatants.
QB, DeShone Kizer
The six-foot-four-inch, 230 pound Toledo, OH native was a 4-star recruit rated as the No. 9 dual-threat quarterback in the nation coming out of high school, and held offers from the likes of Alabama, LSU and Michigan State. According to head coach Brian Kelly, Kizer’s signing represented a turning point within Notre Dame’s program.
“[DeShone’s] going to be able to do the multidimensional things that we love,” Kelly said after receiving Kizer’s signed letter of intent on National Signing Day. “All three of the quarterbacks, we finally – all do the same things.”
Though listed as a 4-star, Kizer’s skill set was closer to the 3-star side of the spectrum than the 5-star coming out of high school, but was still a coveted prospect due to his high ceiling. The former Toledo Central Catholic standout possesses a large frame as well as mobility, and though he didn’t produce eye-popping numbers in high school, his status as a multisport athlete led some analysts to label Kizer as a raw prospect with huge upside once fully focused on football.
The downside to Kizer’s game can be found in his inconsistency. He arrived to South Bend needing to improve his footwork, which is largely responsible for his occasionally inaccurate throws. And through no fault of his own, Kizer’s opportunity to improve was stunted due to the quarterback competition between Golson and Zaire, leaving DeShone with very limited practice repetitions.
QB, Brandon Wimbush
Wimbush, a six-foot-one inch, 212 pound native of Jersey City, NJ was a 4-star recruit tabbed as the No. 4 dual-threat quarterback in the country this past recruiting cycle. His talent led some of the nation’s best programs – such as Alabama, LSU and Ohio State – to offer scholarships and was impressive enough that Kelly launched a full press to successfully poach Wimbush from the list of Penn State commitments.
“As a quarterback you have to have a presence, and he has an incredible presence and a leadership about him where he makes others around him better,” Kelly said about his most recent quarterback signee. “He lights up the room. He’s a thermometer guy.”
While Kelly may praise Wimbush’s leadership potential, his physical ability shined during his senior year at St. Peter’s Prep where he completed 76-percent of his passing attempts with 22 touchdowns compared to one lone interception. The New Jersey prep star also showcased his dual-threat ability by averaging over 11 yards per carry on the ground. Those physical tools earned him praise during practice week at this year’s Under Armour All-America game, where analysts raved about his lively arm strength.
Though it’s difficult to determine a “downside” to Wimbush’s ability prior to his enrollment at Notre Dame, Wimbush did struggle during the actual Under Armour All-America all-star game. He completed only three of his six passing attempts for 44 yards and one interception, appearing uncomfortable with the increased speed of the competition.
True freshman Brandon Wimbush may be more physically gifted and college-ready coming out of high school than DeShone Kizer was, but Kizer has the added benefit of one full year within Kelly’s system, even if Kizer has lacked practice repetitions to date.
Overall, Kelly would undoubtedly still prefer to redshirt Wimbush his first year on campus. Preserving a year of eligibility creates extra separation between Zaire (three years of eligibility) and Kizer (four years of eligibility) as well as providing needed stability to the position. Wimbush besting Kizer for the No. 2 spot this early could make Kizer a transfer risk, which would be a major setback for Notre Dame’s depth chart as Kelly and staff’s main quarterback target for this recruiting cycle, Dwayne Haskins, committed to Maryland just recently. Despite the benefits of Kizer securing the backup position behind Zaire, Kelly will allow the competition to settle itself, and if Wimbush is the better option, he’ll get the nod.
Notre Dame fans that were looking for a quarterback competition to track this fall will still have one – just not the one they expected.
Scott Janssen is a blogger for the Huffington Post and has written several nationally-featured articles, including an appearance on MSNBC as a sports contributor. He talks football 24 hours a day, much to the chagrin of his wife and those around him. Scott can be reached at scottjanssenhp@gmail.com orfollow him on Twitter.
