The top of Notre Dame quarterback wish list for the 2012 recruiting cycle is an intriguing study in contrasts.
There’s Kenton, Ohio quarterback Maty Mauk, a 6-2, 185-pounder who is not among CBS College Sports re-cruiting analyst Tom Lemming’s top 100 prospects nationally.
He counts Buffalo, Ball State and Michigan among nine offers, but seems like a near-prototypical fit for Kelly’s spread offense.
Then there’s Gunner Kiel, a 6-4, 220-pound pro-style QB from East High in Columbus, Ind. He’s former Irish quarterback Blair Kiel’s nephew and counts Alabama, Oklahoma, USC, TCU and Michigan among his already unwieldy list of offers.
He’s the No. 2 prospect regardless of position on Lemming’s top 100, behind only Dorial Green-Beckham — a 6-6, 220-pounder from Springfield, Mo., and ND’s top receiver target.
“I met with Maty Mauk recently,” Lemming said, “and I definitely believe he’s leaning to Notre Dame. I think he would have committed to Notre Dame already had his mother not insisted on him visiting other schools.
“Gunner Kiel recently had a great visit to Notre Dame, enough so that I think at this early stage the Irish are either the favorites or even with the other favorites. If they (the Irish) take Mauk early, they could lose Kiel.
“Maty is listed at 6-2, but he’s probably closer to 6-0 than 6-2. His brother, Ben, played for Brian Kelly at Cincinnati, and Maty has all the intangibles that Kelly likes. He can keep plays going with his imagination. You’ll see him flip balls to receivers just as he’s about to be sacked. Mauk is a Kelly-type of guy, although Kiel will definitely be a much better pro prospect.”