'12 IN QB Gunner Kiel (Cincinnati Transfer)

[Irish Houstonian]

Amazing homer'ism. When we recruit a 9th TE this board says depth is great,competition is key, they will make each other better. When the #1 qb in the class of 2012 leaves then "who cares he wasn't going to start". When I see this nonsense it makes me wonder what kind of devoid of logic careers you guys have, there is ZERO internal consistency to the homer positions on this board.

This cannot possibly be good news. The staff ****ed this up huge. So much for not enough room on the plane to the Oklahoma game. This was stupid on an epic level and just white washing it will never erase the fact that we just lost a 5* recruit who was number 1 at his position 12 months ago.

Could be jumping to conclusions, but it is pretty embarrassing when the national media says that the assistant marketing director will more likely see the field than you will. You can't rule out that this factored in his decision.

 

[Irishnuke]

This is a big deal. Having extra bodies at QB doesn't mean we have good depth. We don't. I'm not freaking the F out like CanadianIrish but I also can't see this as not being a big deal.

 

[Rack Em]

Im not good with this...I dont like seeing him go at all; with all respect to the 2nd 2 QB's, but there is a huge dropoff between Golson and Hendrix/Rees. I got lots of love for Tommy-Boy, but there is no denying the dropoff between Golson and the other 2. Golson is work in progress and needs to get better. If he doesnt get better, then ND will still struggle to score in the red zone. If ND scored better in the red zone last year, they would have been BLOWING teams away.

If Golson improves, and stays healthy then ND is looking good. but if those 2 things dont happen, ND will be kind of a rudder-less ship hoping the defense can keep the game close, needing to squeak out wins 13-10 or 22-13, rather than 41-13. Sooner or later, you dont win all of the '22-13' games and ND will not be able to beat the big boys.

Yes the defense is great and is going to keep games close, but that cant be a crutch to rely upon. There will be times the defense will need the help of the offense, you cant keep putting all that pressure on the defense, even if they are as good as advertised.

With Kiel leaving, this puts more pressure on Golson to get better now. All roads seem to point that Golson is improving, but nothing is guaranteed and Kiel was a nice insurance policy to have (he was ND's reduncancy, or fault tolerence) now the margin for error is smaller.

Kiel worked on the scout team last year. There's no guarantee he would have been the #2 QB this year.

 

[Ironman8]

Amazing homer'ism. When we recruit a 9th TE this board says depth is great,competition is key, they will make each other better. When the #1 qb in the class of 2012 leaves then "who cares he wasn't going to start". When I see this nonsense it makes me wonder what kind of devoid of logic careers you guys have, there is ZERO internal consistency to the homer positions on this board.

This cannot possibly be good news. The staff ****ed this up huge. So much for not enough room on the plane to the Oklahoma game. This was stupid on an epic level and just white washing it will never erase the fact that we just lost a 5* recruit who was number 1 at his position 12 months ago.

Amazing lack of rational thought here Mr. Canadian. You're terrible analogy is based on the assumption that all positions are created equal, which of course they aren't. QB is a unique beast, and arguing to the contrary is laughable.

The staff screwed this up huge? What? What did the staff screw up here?

No I get it, they should have risked dividing the team (again) trying to appease a QB who only received your precious 5th star because it was such a historically down year in QB recruiting.

You are never going to please everyone as a major college football coach. These kids, especially the QBs, all have egos and what to be the man right away, which of course can't happen for all of them in one place. Some will be it, some will become a team player, and some will leave. Happens to major programs every single year.

Read more and post less if you are serious accusing me in particular of homerism.

 

[IrishJayhawk]

Yes, it would be great to keep him for depth. Yes, he could be a potential star.

No, you cannot expect to keep a #1 QB recruit on the bench unless he is guaranteed to be a multi-year starter down the road. Anyone who expected he would stick around is crazy... the only question would be whether or not he would be given a chance to truly compete for the starting job this spring. If not, he was 100% gone.

^My take as well. It sucks though.

 

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

You mean like EG, who decommited from UNC or TJ who decommited from Stanford, or Doug Randolph, Eddie V, Max Redfield, and countless others. You don't know Gunner. No need to be a dick.

I didn't remember them decommitting from 2 different schools, including pulling an Anzalone and leaving LSU the day before he was supposed to enroll. That kind of difficulty with decision making shows why he transferred and why he looked awful in his last game in semistate as a senior.

 

[GoldenIsThyFame]

This is a big deal. Having extra bodies at QB doesn't mean we have good depth. We don't. I'm not freaking the F out like CanadianIrish but I also can't see this as not being a big deal.

Yeah it is bad after this year because it means Zaire will have to be ready to back up Golson. That's a scary proposition at this point but its too far off now to make judgements. Hendrix will likely leave to start at a MAC school or somewhere else in his final year of eligibility and it most definitely means we will take a QB this year.

 

[IrishLax]

Yeah it is bad after this year because it means Zaire will have to be ready to back up Golson. That's a scary proposition at this point but its too far off now to make judgements. Hendrix will likely leave to start at a MAC school or somewhere else in his final year of eligibility and it most definitely means we will take a QB this year.

If Tommy doesn't play this year then we can (hopefully) keep him around for a 5th year.

 

[Irishnuke]

It's also important to get guys who can stick with a decision.

I didn't remember them decommitting from 2 different schools, including pulling an Anzalone and leaving LSU the day before he was supposed to enroll. That kind of difficulty with decision making shows why he transferred and why he looked awful in his last game in semistate as a senior.

So now you're backtracking because they only changed their mind once? They didn't stick with their decisions either. Unless you know all the circumstances you're just being a bitter ***.

and wtf does his semi-state game have to do with this? We didn't get to see it, but there is a reason he was a 5 star prospect.

 

[Irish Houstonian]

Paging Matt Mauk

 

[Irishnuke]

If Tommy doesn't play this year then we can (hopefully) keep him around for a 5th year.

I can't see a scenario in which Tommy doesn't play.

 

[IrishJayhawk]

I didn't remember them decommitting from 2 different schools, including pulling an Anzalone and leaving LSU the day before he was supposed to enroll. That kind of difficulty with decision making shows why he transferred and why he looked awful in his last game in semistate as a senior.

Tuitt committed, decommitted, committed somewhere else, then recommitted when the coach visited him at 5 a.m.

 

[GoldenIsThyFame]

If Tommy doesn't play this year then we can (hopefully) keep him around for a 5th year.

What do you put those odds at?

 

[irishff1014]

What do you put those odds at?

Less then 1%

 

[GoldenDomerDJ]

My money is on him going to Miami (OH). I've heard that school being a possible landing spot and it would make sense.

 

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

This is a big deal. Having extra bodies at QB doesn't mean we have good depth. We don't. I'm not freaking the F out like CanadianIrish but I also can't see this as not being a big deal.

We have 4 QBs, the same number that we had last year. Our starter had 1 loss in his first season, and we know we have a backup who is passable. I also think Zaire is a much better fit for the offense and a will be a good backup for Golson with a chance to start in the future.

 

[IrishJayhawk]

We have 4 QBs, the same number that we had last year. Our starter had 1 loss in his first season, and we know we have a backup who is passable. I also think Zaire is a much better fit for the offense and a will be a good backup for Golson with a chance to start in the future.

I don't mind this take, actually. I think it's a bigger deal than you, but okay. There's some reason here. Ripping the kid is just silly though.

 

[Ironman8]

I don't mind this take, actually. I think it's a bigger deal than you, but okay. There's some reason here. Ripping the kid is just silly though.

Ripping the kid is wrong, and so is ripping the staff for Gunner deciding to play somewhere else instead of sitting behind Golson.

 

[Irishnuke]

We have 4 QBs, the same number that we had last year. Our starter had 1 loss in his first season, and we know we have a backup who is passable. I also think Zaire is a much better fit for the offense and a will be a good backup for Golson with a chance to start in the future.

That's exactly my point. We have 4, doesn't mean we have 4 good ones. Golson had one loss yes, but that wasn't due to his awesome play. That was due to the defense. He's only going to get better but at some point he's going to get hurt. Tommy can come through in a pinch but I wouldn't trust him to go the whole game against Michigan, Oklahoma, SC. He's very limited in what he can do. Hendrix hasn't shown anything and Malik will hopefully redshirt. If he doesn't, that means **** seriously went wrong. So while yes we have 4 QBs, our depth isn't as good as people think.

 

[AllGoldEverything]

Any way you look at this it sucks. It would have been nice to have a 5 star waiting behind Golson, but we all knew Kiel wasn't just going to sit and wait for three more years. This sucks, but wish him the best.

 

[TheChosen1]

Ripping the kid is wrong, and so is ripping the staff for Gunner deciding to play somewhere else instead of sitting behind Golson.

Already posted but worth a repost...As is ripping TP on this board. Not saying you did personally but others have.

Irish Sports Daily‏@ISDUpdate

We may have broke the story, but @turningpointnd was all over it. Throw those guys a follow.

 

[IrishJayhawk]

Ripping the kid is wrong, and so is ripping the staff for Gunner deciding to play somewhere else instead of sitting behind Golson.

Yes

 

[Grahambo]

Ripping the kid is wrong, and so is ripping the staff for Gunner deciding to play somewhere else instead of sitting behind Golson.

It's pathetic that this has to even be mentioned.

 

[TheTurningPoint]

Wish him all the best. Cant fault him for wanting to see what else is out there. It also does tell you that we are in good hands with Mr. Golson.

 

[IrishSteelhead]

This has been his plan for awhile now. When I talked to him and his dad at the airport after the title game, I remember saying "you will get you chance in the spring" and he kind of had a nervous laugh as to say "yeah right."

Didn't want to include that when I originally posted about it due to endless flames here for being negative, but had the impression this was coming any day ever since then. Hope he finds a new home that he can thrive at.

 

[irishandy]

Is it 100% confirmed that he is transferring?? Of all the stories I've ready ND has not confirmed that he is transferring.

If Golson is our QB (which he will be for sure if Kiel leaves) then Rees will definitely play next year.

 

[Ironman8]

Is it 100% confirmed that he is transferring?? Of all the stories I've ready ND has not confirmed that he is transferring.

If Golson is our QB (which he will be for sure if Kiel leaves) then Rees will definitely play next year.

It's been reported that he told BK today he is out.

 

[IrishLax]

I can't see a scenario in which Tommy doesn't play.

You can't see any scenario where a starting QB plays all the snaps for his team during a season? Really? Can't see ANY scenario where that happens even though that's the case for dozens of teams every single season?

 

[Old Man Mike]

A). This is Gunner's life and it's his decision. There are all sorts of reasons to see this as a MATURE decision on his part as well. Gunner has SERIOUS football talent, and who-the-heck wouldn't want to give yourself a chance at the NFL? People must assess the odds in complicated situations. He obviously is making his best guess at how he might be able to impress as a QB and make a career of it. Everyone needs to get out of his life and off of his back.

B). Neither is the staff hashing anything up. It is the staff who got Gunner to come in the first place. Even as an EE, it was obvious that Gunner was charmingly naive and very unready to play. Most of the board would have gone ballistic if Kelly had burned a year. So Gunner redshirted and learned the system. What the heck reasonably more could the staff have done? Crapping on the staff is right up there next to certifiable.

C). So now he decides to give his career a try elsewhere. He obviously has assessed the chances of him beating Everett out as slim, and in that assessment is in agreement with practically everyone following ND football. So how can anyone fault him for that?

D). The remaining mystery is: did he and Kelly have a heart-to-heart, and what did Coach say? We don't know that. Since Kelly is a straightshooter, he may not have been as "encouraging" as Gunner would have liked.

Some people posting want to find a scapegoat whenever things don't go exactly their way. They are crapping their pants so they want to spread it around. Selfishly, no one WANTS to see Gunner transfer, but that's life. I didn't want to see Golden Tate pass up a year either --- HIS life decision not mine.

Hope that you tear up college football, Gunner, and have a great pro career. I still think that you fit our system best, and the confluence of accidents prevented that.

 

[IrishLax]

What do you put those odds at?

Low because he is slight and probably injury prone with how many big hits he makes himself available to. And Tommy could get in for garbage time in a couple games.

What's going to be most interesting to see is whether or not Hendrix steps up into the #2 spot. Yeah, Tommy has the experience and mental side of the game down pat but all of a season ago Tommy got pulled for Hendrix because he couldn't move the ball against a good team while Hendrix had the skillset to make plays.