Why is there always a "yeah but" when talking about every single QB that BK has recruited and signed.
Golson....
He was a smurf. Listed at 6'...no way was he technically over 5'10". (For some who dont know they always jockey actual measurements around for roster listing and program purposes.
Zaire....
extremely inaccurate and bad judgment
Kizer...
here was one good example. Big, strong arm. Accurate deep ball.
What happened? Left too son.
Wimbush...
seemed the part. Actually was the most inaccurate QB I've ever seen. Worse than Zaire. Poor judgment as well.
Book...
Weak arm. Smaller side. If he's 6' he's barely right at 6'. I'm betting he's more 5'11". He bails on the pocket too soon. Y'all know how I feel about that.
Jurkovich...
Here was another. Big, strong kid, came from a winning background in arguably the hardest division in high school football in the country. Not just in PA.
What happened? Transferred
Buchner....
He might be the smallest QB I've ever seen. Now his throwing motion apparently is all messed up.
Oh and he's still a smurf.
2 kids in 10 plus years under BK.
What happened? The two we needed to play the most left early and the other left way early transferring.
It seems like BK gets the table scraps. The scraps of a rib eye can still be decent but it's not what you really want.
When he's handed a potential nice piece of prime rib he burns the hell out of it or serves it too rare.
The only constant in all this has been BK. QB coaches have come and gone but he ultimately remained throughout.
The question has to be asked by him in the mirror. What the hell am I doing wrong with the QB position?
Bringing in a QB with a "yeah but" following their name is wrong. So he's targeting the wrong recruits and when he lands the ideal one he ruins it.
If you look at the above list every single one was handled wrong. All of them.
Golson...
played too much. (How many times did Rees have to spell him in the 12 season?) Then he also played 5 games too long AFTER he became the fumble king.
Zaire...playing Golson too long means Zaire wasn't playing. But when he did the tiny example is a decent LSU bowl game that Golson had to spell on obvious passing downs, a pristine Texas game that Texas thought they were playing 7 vs 7 summer without drills and a busted ankle after an uneventful 2 quarters vs UVA.
Kizer should've been playing immediately. He was big, wasn't intimidated, and could throw the long ball accurately.
Wimbush...
17 starts before BK decides he cant throw accurately. WTH. 17 starts too many.
Book even after showing he can move the ball better than Wimbush still doesn't get the nod until he had to play him.
Jurkovich comes in and could be that real deal next big thing....
But BK's wrong handling of the depth chart with Wimbush gave Book one year too long of eligibility.
The Buchner kid. Tiny. Not that some QB can't catch fire being small but they must be exceptional at something. Kyler Murray was elusive and very accurate. Russell Wilson was elusive and extremely accurate. Doug Flutie was all the above plus had a cannon for an arm.
You know what else those players had? Some decent girth about them. A decent frame. This Buchner kid is tiny. He's not only short but literally has a petite frame.
10 plus years of QB play under BK has been bad.
Playing the wrong one to begin with, sticking with the wrong one too long, not playing the correct one early enough or at all ...
The most important position and it's handled completely wrong!!! Not a recipe for success against strong teams.
I’m puzzled as to what the issue is.
Here are the Heisman Winners since Kelly arrived in South Bend:
Cam Newton
Robert Griffin III
Johnny Manziel
Jameis Winston
Marcus Mariota
Derrick Henry (the lone non-QB)
Lamar Jackson
Baker Mayfield
Kyler Murray
Joe Burrow
And this year, you have the kids from Clemson and Ohio State. Assuming there is a THIS YEAR.
Has Kelly recruited even ONE QB of this ILK?
No. Zero.
So, what does one expect when the careers of Kelly’s QB’s bear no MEANINGFUL RESEMBLANCE to those of these Heisman winners?
And it’s not about playing them too soon or too late or “NOT COACHING THEM UP PROPERLY.” All of that may have its place, but even under the MOST OPTIMAL circumstances, ND does not feature the PREMIER PRODUCT. It simply CAN’T ACQUIRE IT. And if it can, why hasn’t it?
In the 28 years between 1964 and 1992, ND had SIX AA QB’s:
Huarte – AA/Heisman/CHOF.
Hanratty – AA twice/Baugh Award the year he was NOT an AA. Finished 8th, 10th and 3rd for the Heisman.
Theismann – AA/CHOF/2nd for the Heisman.
Clements – AA/4th for the Heisman.
Rice – AA/Unitas Award/4th for the Heisman.
Mirer – AA
Oh, and Joe Montana was a mere AA honorable mention, and nowhere to be seen in the Heisman vote.
In contrast, in the 28 years between 1992 and today, ND has had two AA QB’s:
Quinn – AA twice/Unitas, Maxwell and Baugh awards/4th and 3rd for the Heisman.
Clausen – AA.
Where, I ask, is the comparison?
Plus, it’s been
15 YEARS since Brady Quinn and
10 since Clausen.
I mean, you can’t put lipstick on a pig or even eyeliner or foundation makeup to make it a Heisman contender.
WHAT YOU SEE FROM ND’S QB’S IS EXACTLY WHAT THEY’RE CAPABLE OF. Certainly, NONE would have beaten out any of the most recent Heisman winners listed above. The RAW TALENT wasn’t comparable.
Since Holtz left, ND has had four REASONABLY TALENTED QB’s: Jackson, Quinn, Clausen and Kizer. And none won a Heisman, Quinn coming closest. Book should join this group, but it’s extremely unlikely he’ll win a Heisman either.
We’re not operating in the same talent pool, and all of the tweaking, better play-calling, better game-day prep or whatever -- can never, ON ITS OWN, bridge that GAP.
And Tyler Buchner isn’t likely to win a Heisman either. He’s in the lower third of the elite class, and though he may do well, no one is counting on him as the next Trevor Lawrence. At least, I
hope no one is, including those inclined to view fantasies, at times, as
plausible.
People should relax, and let ND fight with the army it has. It’s a solid Turkish-level army. But it isn’t the US military or that of China or North Korea. I mean, why expect non-existent firepower?
ND may never again win an NC without a GREAT QB around which to constellate a great team. But, then, that guy
is apparently not coming anyway. As is clear to everyone, there are greener pastures elsewhere.
Year after year after year after year. As in Newton to Mariota to Burrow.
Because, if there isn’t the same level of supporting cast at ND as at the Heisman winner schools, no number one QB prospect will be interested in betting his future on ND. Why would he? It’s clear where the template works, and it’s not at ND, which, as per QB’s, is now a
legacy program.