'12 IN QB Gunner Kiel (Cincinnati Transfer)

[Patulski]

Absolutely. And this is what I don't get.
He'd apparently rather sit out this spring than practice with a championship-level team and prove he deserves a spot on the two deep?
Even if he transfers immediately, which it may be too late in the semester to do, depending on where he goes, is he going to see the field in spring practice? Doubtful. Plus he'll have all next year to sit and learn the offense. Why not see how spring goes and transfer over the summer?
I totally get not wanting to sit behind Golson for three more years, but a lot can happen even between now and the Temple game, and it seems like he's not even giving himself a chance. Makes me wonder if Les was right.

I agree, which is why I'm waiting for Kiel and Kelly's announcement.

 

[mrmiller8]

Don't really want to rub it in Wooly but I'm 99.9 percent I called this happening about 6 months ago.

See "Golson in the future" column

http://www.irishenvy.com/forums/notre-dame-football/76679-golson-future-post809246.html#post809246

 

[Bogtrotter07]

Just read the SBT this morning. Here's Kelly's response to the rumors to the media."

Sounds like he expected Kiel to compete instead of quitting. We'll see what happens.

ND head football coach Brian Kelly was not available for comment Thursday night, but on Thursday morning -- before the two sides met -- Kelly had this to say about the Kiel transfer rumors and the former five-star prospect's future at Notre Dame:

"It will all shake itself out this spring," he said. "And I say that because (Kiel) really hasn't been given an opportunity. He came in as an early enrollee and had the spring to just run around there with very little knowledge base of the college game and understanding protections. He just did things because he's a big, strong athlete.

"We gave him a little bit of a sniff of it in preseason camp, but not a lot really, quite frankly, because again there was a learning curve there and we needed to hit the ground running. So this spring is going to be, quite frankly, his opportunity to show himself.

"So he may transfer at the end of spring, He may be the starter at the end of spring. I think the question is fair, but I really couldn't tell you how to answer those questions other than this spring will definitely determine his place within the program."
available for comment

Edit: I find it interesting that ISD wrote the story saying Kelly wasn't "immediately available for comment. He was available later in the day. Why not just wait? There may or may not be any other controversy at this point, particularly if Kiel believes he has a fair shot to win the QB position and wants to compete.

Didn't this all break officially at like 10:00PM at night? I probably wouldn't be available either!

 

[Patulski]

Don't really want to rub it in Wooly but I'm 99.9 percent I called this happening about 6 months ago.

See "Golson in the future" column

http://www.irishenvy.com/forums/notre-dame-football/76679-golson-future-post809246.html#post809246

Well, you wrote, "My point was that If Kelly doesn't open up the job (which he will say that its an open competition, whether that really means its open is up to BK) I have a hard time believing that someone with a year under their belt and being in the situations that Golson has been and played well, you as a coach, jump ship on the first four star recruit at the QB position you have brought on. I don't buy that."

You may not think Kelly would jump ship and go to Kiel if he won the job, but Kelly is quoted today saying he would:

"We gave him a little bit of a sniff of it in preseason camp, but not a lot really, quite frankly, because again there was a learning curve there and we needed to hit the ground running. So this spring is going to be, quite frankly, his opportunity to show himself. So he may transfer at the end of spring, He may be the starter at the end of spring. I think the question is fair, but I really couldn't tell you how to answer those questions other than this spring will definitely determine his place within the program."

I think Kelly will play most whomever he thinks will win games. Cierre Wood learned that the hard way last year.

 

[Patulski]

Didn't this all break officially at like 10:00PM at night? I probably wouldn't be available either!

You're right, the story broke last night. So, it would be "wait to hear from Kelly the next day." We'll see if the sources are right. Could be. I hope there's some word from Kiel or Kelly today.

 

[mrmiller8]

Well, you wrote, "My point was that If Kelly doesn't open up the job (which he will say that its an open competition, whether that really means its open is up to BK) I have a hard time believing that someone with a year under their belt and being in the situations that Golson has been and played well, you as a coach, jump ship on the first four star recruit at the QB position you have brought on. I don't buy that."

You may not think Kelly would jump ship and go to Kiel if he won the job, but Kelly is quoted today saying he would:



I think Kelly will play most whomever he thinks will win games. Cierre Wood learned that the hard way last year.

There is more in that thread but all im saying is I actually expected him to do this. Cierre Wood also got in trouble before the season started and Riddick played very very well. Towards the end of the season I think most people would have preferred Riddick back there over Cierre.

 

[RDU Irish]

There is virtually zero chance Golson stays healthy for three years. Gunner would have ample opportunity to take over with the bright lights on and never look back. Not to mention he should be in the drivers seat for the fifth year job.

The unknown is always pumped up, but the thought of Gunner stepping in for a few games if Golson gets knocked out for a few weeks has way more upside than Tommy stepping in for a few weeks.

 

[Patulski]

There is virtually zero chance Golson stays healthy for three years. Gunner would have ample opportunity to take over with the bright lights on and never look back. Not to mention he should be in the drivers seat for the fifth year job.

I would be surprised if-through the S&C program- Golson doesn't get bigger, stronger and more durable.

 

[mrmiller8]

And for the record wooly, I hope like hell that Gunner would stay and we would have three four star/five star recruits on the team....however I don't envision that being case (my opinion, if you don't like it thats fine, this is america and its a free country to express my opinion). He is the most likely to transfer because of PT. He has already redshirted and Zaire could redshirt as well which would give zaire a shot at starting two years...Kiel only one as it stands now...

There.

 

[mrmiller8]

I would be surprised if-through the S&C program- Golson doesn't get bigger, stronger and more durable.

Yeah he should be getting tougher and smarter as well. He is gonna take his licks but if he uses his legs well and avoids pressure to throw the football he will be fine.

 

[Patulski]

Yeah he should be getting tougher and smarter as well. He is gonna take his licks but if he uses his legs well and avoids pressure to throw the football he will be fine.

The judgement to either to - (a) stay in the pocket and make the throw while taking a shot, or (b) leave the pocket to avoid pressure and be creative - is one of EG's biggest growth challenges as a QB. Not that its easy, but the better he gets at recognizing what to do regarding these two actions the better a QB he's going to become.

I also agree that he needs to get better at sliding and running out of bounds. No need for him to take unnecessary shots. He should get better at making this judgement as well.

 

[NDFANnSouthWest]

So Kiel is going to xfer and be last on the dept chart somewhere else and have to work himself up the latter...makes sense to me.

 

[BGIF]

I'm sure we all expected this. He wasn't even guaranteed the #2 spot on the depth chart.

Speak for yourself, I didn't.

As he was 4th on the depth chart at the end of a season none of us saw him play, he wasn't guaranteed 3rd place was he? With a 5th QB on board he wasn't guaranteed 4th place.

What reports we did receive from his scout team review comments from Kelly were laudatory BUT he would have to demonstrate during Spring Ball where he belonged on the QB depth chart the same as the others.

Zaire scared him? Let's get real. All he's shown is H.S. clips. It took Golson a year to grasp Kelly's offense. Kiel likewise spent his freshman year on the scout team absorbing. Even if Zaire is "ready", he's not a plug in. If I recall correctly he throws from the other side that's a significant adjustment for OLs and more importantly receivers, WRs, TEs, and RBs. And ND just lost key veteran receivers. The young guys are gonna be busy learning reads, routes, and how to block much less adjusting to a ball with a different look. Zaire is not a '13 threat to Kiel.

"Golson is a stud". Strange that a stud only finished #60 in the Top 100 QBs with a paltry 58% completion rate in a high % offense. "But he was only a red shirt freshman" and what were Walsh at OK St, Mariota, Manziel, Hundley, and Hogan?

Some of the same people here that ripped Landry Jones, Barkley, Sunseri, and Marve last season as mediocre have anointed Golson a stud. Golson had a very good INT%, 1.89, but a very poor TD %, 3.77. Of the Top 100 Div1 QBs Golson's TD % was 86th.

Golson's TD to INT Ratio was 12:6. Walsh 13:3 on half the passes thrown. Mariota 32:6. Barkley 36:15. Manziel 26:9. Sunseri 21:3. Hundley 29:11. Jones 30:11. Marve 15:5 on 70 fewer passes.

Some of the same people that anointed Crist as a stud, screamed that right up til Crist got benched at KANSAS.

Some of those people raved about Golson's completion rate for 25 yd passes (which he didn't attempt often but completed more than Rees, ergo he must be a stud) but neglected his significantly lower completion rate on the short 0-4 yd passes. A situation that mirrors NDs '12 Red Zone TD problem. Give Golson 25 Yds or more to work with and he found and open man. Put him inside the Red Zone and he struggled. Put him inside the 10 yd line and he struggled more. I don't know if he simply can't see the receivers on a short field or doesn't process fast enough. He had a very tall receiving corps but struggled nonetheless hitting them. Other short QBs without the benefit of the height of ND's receiving corps didn't struggle like "our stud" did.

As for the comment about Golson doing better in the latter part of the season, check who the opponents were. The latter part of the schedule was the softer part of the schedule, anyone should have looked better.

Kiel was praised for a strong accurate arm. He obviously doesn't have a height disadvantage like Golson does with tall OLs which aren't getting shoter based on the incoming class. Neither Rees nor Hendrix showed last year that they would supplant or even challenge Golson so Kiel was the only threat of competition. On March 6th Steve Greenberg, The Sporting News, wrote an article on the Top 10 Position Battles in Spring Football. The #1 issue was ND QB, would Kiel overtake Golson. He apparently was another one surprised by a transfer prior to Spring Practice.


The timing strikes me as bizarre. If he "didn't have the chest" he would have bailed at the semester break and been at his new school already. No reason to stay for 6 weeks of a new semester and decide to leave shortly before Spring Ball. Grades? Res Life issue? I haven't a clue but we know they can be factors at ND more so than other schools.

Could he have recently been told that he's not going to get 30-40% of the Spring Snaps so he could demonstrate his abilities? That would irk me if I was as talented but played the Team Role as Scout QB last year. Did he pull a Kelly interviewing with the NFL and mention without enough snaps in Spring Ball he would move on and Kelly responded simply, "Do what you think is best for you"?

Bottom line ND is left with a #1 QB with a Red Zone issue and no one to challenge him in the crucible. Golson will have to drive himself to improve. Something Crist couldn't accomplish.

I'm disappointed. This is a step back for the ND program at a time it should be leaping forward.

Next man in!

 

[irishff1014]

Speak for yourself, I didn't.

As he was 4th on the depth chart at the end of a season none of us saw him play, he wasn't guaranteed 3rd place was he? With a 5th QB on board he wasn't guaranteed 4th place.

What reports we did receive from his scout team review comments from Kelly were laudatory BUT he would have to demonstrate during Spring Ball where he belonged on the QB depth chart the same as the others.

Zaire scared him? Let's get real. All he's shown is H.S. clips. It took Golson a year to grasp Kelly's offense. Kiel likewise spent his freshman year on the scout team absorbing. Even if Zaire is "ready", he's not a plug in. If I recall correctly he throws from the other side that's a significant adjustment for OLs and more importantly receivers, WRs, TEs, and RBs. And ND just lost key veteran receivers. The young guys are gonna be busy learning reads, routes, and how to block much less adjusting to a ball with a different look. Zaire is not a '13 threat to Kiel.

"Golson is a stud". Strange that a stud only finished #60 in the Top 100 QBs with a paltry 58% completion rate in a high % offense. "But he was only a red shirt freshman" and what were Walsh at OK St, Mariota, Manziel, Hundley, and Hogan?

Some of the same people here that ripped Landry Jones, Barkley, Sunseri, and Marve last season as mediocre have anointed Golson a stud. Golson had a very good INT%, 1.89, but a very poor TD %, 3.77. Of the Top 100 Div1 QBs Golson's TD % was 86th.

Golson's TD to INT Ratio was 12:6. Walsh 13:3 on half the passes thrown. Mariota 32:6. Barkley 36:15. Manziel 26:9. Sunseri 21:3. Hundley 29:11. Jones 30:11. Marve 15:5 on 70 fewer passes.

Some of the same people that anointed Crist as a stud, screamed that right up til Crist got benched at KANSAS.

Some of those people raved about Golson's completion rate for 25 yd passes (which he didn't attempt often but completed more than Rees, ergo he must be a stud) but neglected his significantly lower completion rate on the short 0-4 yd passes. A situation that mirrors NDs '12 Red Zone TD problem. Give Golson 25 Yds or more to work with and he found and open man. Put him inside the Red Zone and he struggled. Put him inside the 10 yd line and he struggled more. I don't know if he simply can't see the receivers on a short field or doesn't process fast enough. He had a very tall receiving corps but struggled nonetheless hitting them. Other short QBs without the benefit of the height of ND's receiving corps didn't struggle like "our stud" did.

As for the comment about Golson doing better in the latter part of the season, check who the opponents were. The latter part of the schedule was the softer part of the schedule, anyone should have looked better.

Kiel was praised for a strong accurate arm. He obviously doesn't have a height disadvantage like Golson does with tall OLs which aren't getting shoter based on the incoming class. Neither Rees nor Hendrix showed last year that they would supplant or even challenge Golson so Kiel was the only threat of competition. On March 6th Steve Greenberg, The Sporting News, wrote an article on the Top 10 Position Battles in Spring Football. The #1 issue was ND QB, would Kiel overtake Golson. He apparently was another one surprised by a transfer prior to Spring Practice.


The timing strikes me as bizarre. If he "didn't have the chest" he would have bailed at the semester break and been at his new school already. No reason to stay for 6 weeks of a new semester and decide to leave shortly before Spring Ball. Grades? Res Life issue? I haven't a clue but we know they can be factors at ND more so than other schools.

Could he have recently been told that he's not going to get 30-40% of the Spring Snaps so he could demonstrate his abilities? That would irk me if I was as talented but played the Team Role as Scout QB last year. Did he pull a Kelly interviewing with the NFL and mention without enough snaps in Spring Ball he would move on and Kelly responded simply, "Do what you think is best for you"?

Bottom line ND is left with a #1 QB with a Red Zone issue and no one to challenge him in the crucible. Golson will have to drive himself to improve. Something Crist couldn't accomplish.

I'm disappointed. This is a step back for the ND program at a time it should be leaping forward.

Next man in!

Boom there it is folks. Great post.

 

[UmphreakDomer]

Speak for yourself, I didn't.

As he was 4th on the depth chart at the end of a season none of us saw him play, he wasn't guaranteed 3rd place was he? With a 5th QB on board he wasn't guaranteed 4th place.

What reports we did receive from his scout team review comments from Kelly were laudatory BUT he would have to demonstrate during Spring Ball where he belonged on the QB depth chart the same as the others.

Zaire scared him? Let's get real. All he's shown is H.S. clips. It took Golson a year to grasp Kelly's offense. Kiel likewise spent his freshman year on the scout team absorbing. Even if Zaire is "ready", he's not a plug in. If I recall correctly he throws from the other side that's a significant adjustment for OLs and more importantly receivers, WRs, TEs, and RBs. And ND just lost key veteran receivers. The young guys are gonna be busy learning reads, routes, and how to block much less adjusting to a ball with a different look. Zaire is not a '13 threat to Kiel.

"Golson is a stud". Strange that a stud only finished #60 in the Top 100 QBs with a paltry 58% completion rate in a high % offense. "But he was only a red shirt freshman" and what were Walsh at OK St, Mariota, Manziel, Hundley, and Hogan?

Some of the same people here that ripped Landry Jones, Barkley, Sunseri, and Marve last season as mediocre have anointed Golson a stud. Golson had a very good INT%, 1.89, but a very poor TD %, 3.77. Of the Top 100 Div1 QBs Golson's TD % was 86th.

Golson's TD to INT Ratio was 12:6. Walsh 13:3 on half the passes thrown. Mariota 32:6. Barkley 36:15. Manziel 26:9. Sunseri 21:3. Hundley 29:11. Jones 30:11. Marve 15:5 on 70 fewer passes.

Some of the same people that anointed Crist as a stud, screamed that right up til Crist got benched at KANSAS.

Some of those people raved about Golson's completion rate for 25 yd passes (which he didn't attempt often but completed more than Rees, ergo he must be a stud) but neglected his significantly lower completion rate on the short 0-4 yd passes. A situation that mirrors NDs '12 Red Zone TD problem. Give Golson 25 Yds or more to work with and he found and open man. Put him inside the Red Zone and he struggled. Put him inside the 10 yd line and he struggled more. I don't know if he simply can't see the receivers on a short field or doesn't process fast enough. He had a very tall receiving corps but struggled nonetheless hitting them. Other short QBs without the benefit of the height of ND's receiving corps didn't struggle like "our stud" did.

As for the comment about Golson doing better in the latter part of the season, check who the opponents were. The latter part of the schedule was the softer part of the schedule, anyone should have looked better.

Kiel was praised for a strong accurate arm. He obviously doesn't have a height disadvantage like Golson does with tall OLs which aren't getting shoter based on the incoming class. Neither Rees nor Hendrix showed last year that they would supplant or even challenge Golson so Kiel was the only threat of competition. On March 6th Steve Greenberg, The Sporting News, wrote an article on the Top 10 Position Battles in Spring Football. The #1 issue was ND QB, would Kiel overtake Golson. He apparently was another one surprised by a transfer prior to Spring Practice.


The timing strikes me as bizarre. If he "didn't have the chest" he would have bailed at the semester break and been at his new school already. No reason to stay for 6 weeks of a new semester and decide to leave shortly before Spring Ball. Grades? Res Life issue? I haven't a clue but we know they can be factors at ND more so than other schools.

Could he have recently been told that he's not going to get 30-40% of the Spring Snaps so he could demonstrate his abilities? That would irk me if I was as talented but played the Team Role as Scout QB last year. Did he pull a Kelly interviewing with the NFL and mention without enough snaps in Spring Ball he would move on and Kelly responded simply, "Do what you think is best for you"?

Bottom line ND is left with a #1 QB with a Red Zone issue and no one to challenge him in the crucible. Golson will have to drive himself to improve. Something Crist couldn't accomplish.

I'm disappointed. This is a step back for the ND program at a time it should be leaping forward.

Next man in!

there you go using facts and stats to make a point instead of opinion. shame on you.

 

[Emcee77]

Speak for yourself, I didn't.


The timing strikes me as bizarre. If he "didn't have the chest" he would have bailed at the semester break and been at his new school already. No reason to stay for 6 weeks of a new semester and decide to leave shortly before Spring Ball. Grades? Res Life issue? I haven't a clue but we know they can be factors at ND more so than other schools.

Could he have recently been told that he's not going to get 30-40% of the Spring Snaps so he could demonstrate his abilities? That would irk me if I was as talented but played the Team Role as Scout QB last year. Did he pull a Kelly interviewing with the NFL and mention without enough snaps in Spring Ball he would move on and Kelly responded simply, "Do what you think is best for you"?

Bottom line ND is left with a #1 QB with a Red Zone issue and no one to challenge him in the crucible. Golson will have to drive himself to improve. Something Crist couldn't accomplish.

I'm disappointed. This is a step back for the ND program at a time it should be leaping forward.

Next man in!

Great. Post. I agree with all of it, particularly with the above quoted portions. The timing is weird and makes me wonder what happened. Something must have triggered this. Kiel apparently met with the coaches about how the spring would go and didn't like what he heard, I guess. I wonder what he heard.

 

[gkIrish]

1. Can't blame the kid for leaving. Good luck to him.
2. If we are lucky this will have no effect on our football team. Golson will have to stay healthy and MZ or whoever we recruit next cycle will have to pan out.
3. You guys aren't going to make me change my name, right?

 

[irishpat183]

See ya!


With our style of offense and who we're bringing in, I don't think we'll have a problem recruiting guys that fit the system.


But I'd have to ask Gunner...Do you REALLY think EG had the job locked up to the point that you needed to transfer?

 

[connor_in]

I think so. This is my opinion and is no way based on knowledge of the situation. I really like what Malik has to offer. I think EG made huge progress during the year in some big games. Hopefully he continues to do so. I never thought Gunner was gonna stick at ND. He created a log jam we he signed after what could only be called a wishy-washy recruitment and then we got Zaire after him, who I think will be better than EG.

Plus if EG stuck he would be riding the bench for three years.

Quick question...

Wasn't it thought that Gunner had a better arm than EG even tho EG has a good one and very good throwing numbers out of HS? Also, isn't the throwing game the lowest rated part of MZ's game? (not that he is bad, but that is the area that was thought to be weaker than other aspects of his)...I could be wrong on this, but trying to remember what I have read on these guys the last couple years

 

[Whiskeyjack]

With our style of offense and who we're bringing in, I don't think we'll have a problem recruiting guys that fit the system.

What is that, exactly?

 

[KieltoNeal]

Such a selfish move by Gunner. It's like he doesn't even care about all the people who hitched their usernames to his success. So senseless...

 

[CraigKrenzel]

Such a selfish move by Gunner. It's like he doesn't even care about all the people who hitched their usernames to his success. So senseless...

Good thing you didn't go with GunnertoGreenberry.

 

[Irish Houstonian]

Such a selfish move by Gunner. It's like he doesn't even care about all the people who hitched their usernames to his success. So senseless...

You should see the tattoo on my lower back.

 

[IrishJayhawk]

You should see the tattoo on my lower back.

Kiel tramp stamp?

 

[Irish Houstonian]

Kiel tramp stamp?

Seemed like a good idea at the time...

 

[alohagoirish]

The statement that this transfer " is a step back for the ND program" is simply ridiculous.

We just brought in one of the TOP classes in the country. We are coming off an UNDEFEATED season and our first appearance in a national title game in over a QUARTER CENTURY. We have a QB that our coaches love who had the BEST first year production of any underclassman since Terry Hanratty. And we are likely heading toward another STELLAR recruiting cycle this year.

To see a SINGLE transfer by a player UNLIKELY to start, as a big step back for this program, is totally over the top.

I understand that there are some who were rooting for KIEL , who were anticipating the day golson would get a little banged up and GUNNER would come in, throw 5 TDS and hold the job for the rest of his career. That was always a grass is always greener hope IMO.

Kiel would have a battle this season to simply WIN the #2 spot , with no guarantee he could displace tommy there , a senior who has the coaches confidence and who has WON alot of games. Kiel was squeezed and made his judgment ---a judgement that i think was likely in HIS BEST INTEREST even if we all would like the luxury of a 5 star on the bench if needed.

The ND program is ROLLING FORWARD with Golson and the sky is the limit. We have a great young QB with a seasoned veteran behind him and a flashy youngster (Malik) taking the role of PROTEGE.

Kiel did what he thought was best---it is absolutely NOT a step back for the ND program.

 

[aaronb]

Boom there it is folks. Great post.

Excellent post!

We were 80th in scoring offense last year. 80th with 2 Senior NFL backs and a 1st round TE to boot. I support whomever is behind center.

However Golson was WILDLY inconsistent last year. In my mind he wasn't anything near a sure thing to start in 2013.

 

[Cackalacky]

Quick question...

Wasn't it thought that Gunner had a better arm than EG even tho EG has a good one and very good throwing numbers out of HS? Also, isn't the throwing game the lowest rated part of MZ's game? (not that he is bad, but that is the area that was thought to be weaker than other aspects of his)...I could be wrong on this, but trying to remember what I have read on these guys the last couple years

Not so quick answer.

I am sure many believe GK had lots of better qualities hence why he was so heavily recruited. I did not like the way he handled the recruiting side of it and I was never sold on his commitment. I was not speaking in the previous post of anyone else's opinion but my own, as uniformed as it is. I like MZ better than GK for many reasons, not just his #s and film. MZ has prettymuch formed the "Irish Mob," recruited his arse off for this recent class and has shown he wants to lead. Kelly loves his confidence. In interviews I have seen of MZ, he exudes confidence and is not afraid of competition. MZ and Jaylon will be future leaders on this team I believe.

GK has not shown anything in public that I have seen to indicate he is ready to lead or wants to lead, that may be just the way he wants it, and that is fine. I would gladly like to see it if he has. It still will not change my mind that Golson will finish out as the starter and Zaire will be the heir apparent in the next few years, barring any injuries (had GK stayed).

Don't take this as me belittling GK, I am not. I was not sold on him in the beginning, was not sold on him through out this year, and am not surprised by his recent decision in the least.

 

[Cackalacky]

The statement that this transfer " is a step back for the ND program" is simply ridiculous.

We just brought in one of the TOP classes in the country. We are coming off an UNDEFEATED season and our first appearance in a national title game in over a QUARTER CENTURY. We have a QB that our coaches love who had the BEST first year production of any underclassman since Terry Hanratty. And we are likely heading toward another STELLAR recruiting cycle this year.

To see a SINGLE transfer by a player UNLIKELY to start, as a big step back for this program, is totally over the top.

I understand that there are some who were rooting for KIEL , who were anticipating the day golson would get a little banged up and GUNNER would come in, throw 5 TDS and hold the job for the rest of his career. That was always a grass is always greener hope IMO.

Kiel would have a battle this season to simply WIN the #2 spot , with no guarantee he could displace tommy there , a senior who has the coaches confidence and who has WON alot of games. Kiel was squeezed and made his judgment ---a judgement that i think was likely in HIS BEST INTEREST even if we all would like the luxury of a 5 star on the bench if needed.

The ND program is ROLLING FORWARD with Golson and the sky is the limit. We have a great young QB with a seasoned veteran behind him and a flashy youngster (Malik) taking the role of PROTEGE.

Kiel did what he thought was best---it is absolutely NOT a step back for the ND program.

Agree X 10^6

 

[Patulski]

"Golson is a stud". Strange that a stud only finished #60 in the Top 100 QBs with a paltry 58% completion rate in a high % offense. "

Here's Golson vs Quinn and Clausen in their Sophomore Years, with Quinn and Clausen having the benefit of playing in many games their freshman years as well.


Passing Efficiency:
Quinn: 125.9
Clausen: 132.49
Golson: 131.01

Total Offense
Quinn: 215.20
Clausen: 238.38
Golson: 225.25 yds/gm

TD Passes/Int's:
Quinn: 17/10
Clausen: 25/17
Golson: 12/6

Net Rushing Yards/TD Rushes
Quinn: -4 yards/3 TD's
Clausen: -73 yds/0TD's
Golson: 295 yds/ 6 TD's

Seems to me that for a Sophomore, playing without the benefit of a full year of starting, Golson did pretty well comparativelyto Clausen and Quinn.

The only Sophomore that I would proclaim a "stud" after watching him after his sophomore year was Terry Hanratty.