When Gunner Kiel orally committed to LSU on Dec. 27, apparently ending the recruiting battle for one of the nation's most prized prospects, his father had one question for him: Are you sure?
Distance from home was, according to Kip Kiel, among the flashpoints in the decision-making process for his son. Baton Rouge, La., was not particularly close to Columbus, Ind. At the time, Gunner Kiel said he was sure. Then time passed and an already quiet kid went practically mute and it all suggested he was not actually so sure.
And then came a Sunday call to Irish coach Brian Kelly and a sudden, chaotic last-minute U-turn for Notre Dame, where the No. 2 quarterback prospect in the country enrolled Tuesday. And for all the melodrama, Kiel's abiding relief has convinced the family they found light after passing through an active jet turbine.
"Gunner, he's been a different kid," Kip Kiel told the Tribune in a phone interview Thursday. "It's like the world, the burden is off his shoulders. He's happy. He's been working out with the kids there in the mornings and it's just been a great decision for him."
In a statement released by Notre Dame upon his official enrollment, Kiel himself referred to his recruiting as a "roller-coaster." Going from a commitment to Indiana to a commitment to LSU to an eventual landing spot at Notre Dame was bound to inspire agida and rumor and negativity, especially when the prospect in question is a 6-foot-4-inch, 220-pound five-star quarterback.
So there are suggestions Kiel's parents made the decision for him. There are suggestions that his indecision on colleges tells everyone all they need to know about an 18-year-old who normally would be a high school senior. Kip Kiel understands this and can only maintain his side.
"I think it all came down to he's a Midwest kid and he wanted to be closer to his friends and family so they could watch him play," Kip Kiel said. "That's what it came down to."
As for the story about Kiel succumbing to an impassioned, 11th-hour plea from his mother?
"There was that rumor out there that Mom had an emotional moment with him, that she started bawling and said, 'No, you can't go,' and that's by far not the truth," Kip Kiel said. "Both of us really wanted him to make his own decision."
It was not, Kip Kiel insists sincerely, Mom and Dad committing their son to Notre Dame. How much credence you give that probably depends on what team you cheer for on Saturdays.
"It wasn't that at all, and that's all I can say," Kip Kiel said. "All we can do is guide him and make him see things and remind him of things that were important to him during the process and go from there. Believe me, it wasn't our decision."
Besides, Kip Kiel argues that his son doesn't want the attention, and those who have dealt with Gunner Kiel corroborate the idea that he is a quieter kid not in constant search of the spotlight.
Again, all Kip Kiel can do is argue that pledging allegiance to three colleges is more a product of the process than a product of his son's character.
"I can see where people would say negative things, but people that say those things who haven't been through the process and have no clue what he's been through, that's the thing," Kip Kiel said. "It's very high-stress. Especially in that position, where people put a lot of pressure on him to commit early – commit, commit, commit.
"If you haven't been through it, it's very stressful. Especially a kid with his personality, who really doesn't like the attention. He's not like that. He's more about the team and winning than himself, and I'm glad he's like that. People will say what they want, but ultimately that's his personality. Of course he feels bad about (the decommitments). Ultimately, I think, he made the right decision."
And that decision did not come, Kip Kiel said, with the idea that the ball would be placed in Gunner Kiel's hands when the Irish open the 2012 season against Navy in Dublin, Ireland.
Gunner Kiel has an uncle who played at Notre Dame and siblings who played college football. According to his father, he all too well understands that he will have to compete for a job and may well have to wait his turn.
"Reality is, right now, he's just another player on the Notre Dame roster," Kip Kiel said. "He knows that. As a matter of fact, I've told many people this – I think Tommy Rees is a pretty good player. I think Tommy Rees is going to start next year, and why wouldn't he? He's done a great job.
"Tommy has a great record there as a starter. People lose sight of that. That's life as a quarterback at Notre Dame, that's the way it is. Gunner, he's got a lot to learn. He's got two brothers that have went through this and they've told him it's going to be tough. The speed of the game is different. He got an idea of that in the (U.S. Army All-American game, and that's just playing against kids his own age."
Kip Kiel lauded the LSU staff, calling Tigers quarterbacks coach Steve Kragthorpe "one of the most outstanding people (Gunner Kiel) has ever met in this process." He returned again and again to the idea that the somewhat disheveled end to this process was just the residue of a kid wanting to stay close to home.
On Friday and Saturday, Gunner Kiel had conversations with two people that Kip Kiel did not want to name that reminded him of that. On Sunday, Gunner Kiel called Kelly and said he wanted to come to Notre Dame after all. On Tuesday, he was in classes.
That's the satisfying end to it for the Kiel clan, even if the uproar continues elsewhere.
"His goal is he just wants to help Notre Dame win games," Kip Kiel said, "and that's it."
