'12 IN QB Gunner Kiel (Cincinnati Transfer)

Circa

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Really pleased that our coach knew better. He has no run threat ability at all.
 

IrishLion

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Gunner looked really good last night, much better than the highly-praised Carden from ECU. He had three interceptions, but two were passes that bounced off of receivers chests, and the third was Gunner getting greedy and trying to make a deep out throw that the defender was already sitting on.

He had tremendous protection all night and made ECU pay when he did by picking apart the middle and the deep parts of the field. He also did a great job of going through his progression and finding 2nd and 3rd options the times he was put under pressure, especially late in the game when he created time for himself by shrugging off a couple of sack attempts on a big third down play.

He did miss a couple easy throws, but it wasn't too concerning. There were three drives to start the second half where the entire offense was out of sync and the playcalling was atrocious, and it affected some timing and resulted in a few passes falling with no one around.

I actually think his running ability is fine in terms of escaping pressure and running the read-option occasionally; it hurt ECU for big chunks a few times.

Also, the worst playcall, possibly of all time, occurred in this game last night when they made Gunner run a speed option with two minutes left, on a 4th and 4, from his own 35 yard line. Absolute worst playcall I've ever seen.
 

Corry

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I don't see any italics here.

To each his own, but I think Gunner is a better prospect than Wimbush. Nothing against Winbush I think the kid is stud and I'm super happy to have him. Gunner as a prospect was slightly better IMO.
 

Wingman Ray

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I respectfully disagree. Gunner came from Columbus IN, a 4A school that played terrible competition. When the QB is bigger than the LBers, you know you have issues. I watched him play his Sr. yr against the crosstown rivals Columbus North and he didnt do a lot.

He transferred because he wasnt good enough. At Cinn, he can play against 2 star competition which is where he can be a big fish in a small pond. Anywhere else and he is 4 years holding a clipboard and leading the practice squad.

Wimbush looks like a quality prospect. Im really excited to have him.
 

BobbyMac

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I respectfully disagree. Gunner came from Columbus IN, a 4A school that played terrible competition. When the QB is bigger than the LBers, you know you have issues. I watched him play his Sr. yr against the crosstown rivals Columbus North and he didnt do a lot.

He transferred because he wasnt good enough. At Cinn, he can play against 2 star competition which is where he can be a big fish in a small pond. Anywhere else and he is 4 years holding a clipboard and leading the practice squad.

Wimbush looks like a quality prospect. Im really excited to have him.

I saw him too and he's tied for the 2nd best HS QB I've ever seen. Does it matter how big the LB's are when he's sitting in a pocket or rolling out... going through his progressions and firing strikes? You obviously didn't see what I saw.

I do have to ask: Was Teddy Bridgewater not good enough to play in South Bend? He played against the same 2 stars as Kiel.
.
 

dad4aa

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I respectfully disagree. Gunner came from Columbus IN, a 4A school that played terrible competition. When the QB is bigger than the LBers, you know you have issues. I watched him play his Sr. yr against the crosstown rivals Columbus North and he didnt do a lot.

He transferred because he wasnt good enough. At Cinn, he can play against 2 star competition which is where he can be a big fish in a small pond. Anywhere else and he is 4 years holding a clipboard and leading the practice squad.

Wimbush looks like a quality prospect. Im really excited to have him.

Gunner left because he did not get along well with then OC/QB Coach Chuck Martin. For whatever reasons they bumped heads and Gunner felt he would never get a chance to play here. Gunner did not get his 5 star ranking because of the quality of teams he played in high school. He got it because of his performance in camps and 7-on-7s. I am very excited to see Wimbush play and think he could very well be what we have all hoped for in a QB but don't think for a minute Gunner is not a top QB.
 

IrishLion

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At Cinn, he can play against 2 star competition which is where he can be a big fish in a small pond. Anywhere else and he is 4 years holding a clipboard and leading the practice squad.

Eh, Gunner's best games have come against the best teams he's played (Ohio State, Miami, East Carolina). He's risen to the challenge pretty well at Cincy, especially playing through a few lingering injuries.

The offense Cincy runs would have success regardless of competition. Their WR's are the real deal, and Gunner does a nice job of getting the ball where it needs to be most of the time.

I think he would've been just fine in ND's offense this season, had he stayed, beat out Golson, etc. Tough to speculate though.
 

ulukinatme

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Other than a piss poor offensive showing against Memphis and Temple, Gunner didn't do too poorly for Cinci this year. Hendrix, on the other hand...didn't have quite as much to work with, and I don't think it would have mattered much one way or the other really.
 

BobbyMac

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Time will tell. You aren't wrong, and you're also not right.

Compare: 204-340...2820 yds... 28TD... 11 int --- 208 yds rushing on 45 atempts... 1TD in only 10 games. Team record 8-3 to any first year player in the FBS, RS Fr. or Fr. and I'm sure it will be towards the top. Gunner had a very good year, I would say great but JT Barrett is right up the interstate and that was a great year.
 

IrishLion

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JT Barrett's year as a first-year starter was insane. Way ahead of the rest of the first-time QB's.

EDIT: Kessler and Solomon are up there as well, so maybe not "way ahead."
 

BobbyMac

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JT Barrett's year as a first-year starter was insane. Way ahead of the rest of the first-time QB's.

Don't stop with first year guys... Did Mariota have a better year statistically? If not who?

* #3 points responsible for behind Mariota with 288, Doughty of WKU 278. He had 270.
 
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Wingman Ray

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Compare: 204-340...2820 yds... 28TD... 11 int --- 208 yds rushing on 45 atempts... 1TD in only 10 games. Team record 8-3 to any first year player in the FBS, RS Fr. or Fr. and I'm sure it will be towards the top. Gunner had a very good year, I would say great but JT Barrett is right up the interstate and that was a great year.

Against absolutely crap competition. Easy to pull figures when you playing bad competition.
 

BobbyMac

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Against absolutely crap competition. Easy to pull figures when you playing bad competition.

Teddy Bridgewater made millions building his resume on the backs of those same crappy players. Just saying.
 

pkt77242

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Against absolutely crap competition. Easy to pull figures when you playing bad competition.

The thing about it though is that the players on his team aren't much better. It isn't like he has Amari Cooper playing WR for him getting crazy separation or a line full of high draft picks giving him all day to throw, so it isn't as easy to put up great numbers as you think. You are only looking at half of the equation and thinking that you have the answer.
 

IrishLion

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Against absolutely crap competition. Easy to pull figures when you playing bad competition.

I've been at every UC home game, so I can tell you that the competition doesn't matter with the way Kiel runs the offense. He would put up good numbers regardless of who he plays for or against. He's gotten better reading coverages and going through his progression as the year has gone on, even with a few bad outings lately (he's been playing through some type of lower back injury that no one talks about in the local media really).

The only knock has been that he has a bit too much faith in his arm at times, and he can't fully utilize his available arm-strength (Lucky has the diagnosis on that; I'm not nearly smart enough to have figured that out, but he definitely is a bit too stiff now that he mentioned it).

Your grapes are too sour.
 
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koonja

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142 pages deep. Anyone who says this kid's not a star is ridic! :). I personally think he's awesome. Love his frame too.
 

Old Man Mike

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Gunner Kiel is a fine solid QB and would have been one at ND too. His "absence" is the "sociological" result, and just another element, in a nearly impossible string of bad luck that we've had getting a stable quarterback on the field.


My brother, an ex-Cincinnati OLineman, is, by the way, delighted that Notre Dame has given them some delayed compensation for stealing their coach.
 

IrishLion

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My brother, an ex-Cincinnati OLineman, is, by the way, delighted that Notre Dame has given them some delayed compensation for stealing their coach.

Jake Golic has been more than serviceable as a lead-blocker in goal line packages this season for Cincy, as well. And he caught his first touchdown two weeks ago against Bob Diaco's UConn team.
 

NDPhilly

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In case you guys were wondering, Kiel had a damn good RS sophomore year. 3,254 yds. 31 td 13 int for the 9-4 bearcats. sucks he transferred. Kid has a good chance of being a future first round pick.
 

IrishLion

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In case you guys were wondering, Kiel had a damn good RS sophomore year. 3,254 yds. 31 td 13 int for the 9-4 bearcats. sucks he transferred. Kid has a good chance of being a future first round pick.

He had a really good year. If UC's defense hadn't been abysmal, they could have won another game or two. Also, Gunner played a significant portion of the season with a lingering injury of some sort that caused him to miss big chunks of a few games. IMO, he could have pushed for nearly 4,000 yards had he been healthy (and had a surprising running game not helped UC put a few games out of reach).

His only issues (aside from getting dinged up) were trusting his arm too much and telegraphing some throws. If he continues to learn and trust the progression, he will be unreal.
 
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