Quarterbacks

By now we all know that Dayne Crist has asked for and has been granted his release from his Notre Dame Football scholarship.  This allows him to graduate this month and play for another team next season without sitting out a year.  Dayne would be a good pick up for a team looking for a talented and experiences signal caller for one year, it worked out will for Wisconsin.  Although Crist has had his issues in South Bend, mostly due to injuries he has carried himself with poise and could be a very good quarterback somewhere even make it at the next level in the NFL.  Irish fans should thank Dayne for his service and wish him well.

With the Crist era over at Notre Dame the Irish have three scholarship players to line up behind center.  Brian Kelly has named Tommy Rees as the starting quarterback for the Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando Florida against the Florida State Seminoles.  Kelly has also made it clear that redshirt sophomore Andrew Hendrix will see action in Orlando.  Technically Everett Golson has moved into the third string slot but there is little to no chance he will get onto the field. No matter the situation in the bowl game Kelly should prepare and play Mathew Mulvey if needed, and if god forbid Mulvey goes down Luck Massa was recruited to South Bend as a quarterback before being moved to wide receiver.

Tommy Rees was put into the first game of the season halfway through after starting quarterback Dayne Crist was ineffective and has been the starter ever since.  This mirrors last season where Rees was inserted during the Tulsa game after Dayne proved to be ineffective.  Although Tommy has not amassed the same winning percentage as last year he has done well going 8-3 as Notre Dame’s starting quarterback.  Normally that would be pretty good for a true sophomore but one this is Notre Dame 8-3 will never be good enough, second Rees has just not developed as we had hoped, he has seemingly stayed the same.  Finally Brian Kelly’s spread offense has been shackled with Rees at the helm; he is simply not enough of a runner for its full throttle speed.  I don’t know how Tommy will fit into Brian Kelly’s offense I would not be surprised if he is the starting quarterback next September but it will be interesting with better running quarterbacks Andrew Hendrix and Everett Golson knocking on the door.

Redshirt sophomore Andrew Hendrix who has three more years of eligibility played in four games this year (two of them had quality time and participation).  Since he stepped on campus Hendrix has had the strongest arm on the team, add his ability to run the ball it is no surprise that Kelly inserted offensive packages for him.  Looking at the big picture Hendrix fits in better to the spread offense Brian Kelly is trying institute then Rees. 

Freshman Everett Golson is thought to be the future of the Irish offense.  He is listed at 6 feet but he is stretching to reach 5’11”.  Word from practice is mixed.  I have heard he is as athletic and talented as advertised but I have also heard he is having trouble picking up the offense. Everett was awarded the Offensive Scout Team Player of the Year by his teammates this year.

Brain Kelly had to go with either Crist or Rees to start this season as the only two quarterbacks with college game experience.  Christ is a solid player and Rees was winning.  Crist is gone and Rees has not grown as we had hoped and does not fit into Kelly’s spread as well as other options.  As of right now the Irish do not have a quarterback commit coming in next year but Indiana’s Mr. Football Gunner Kiel is considering Notre Dame along with LSU.  Either way Rees could be the starter or the odd man out.

As big of fan as I am of Tommy Rees it’s time to start moving in Kelly’s direction if he is going to work out and Rees does not fit.  Ideally Golson comes in and shreds defenses with his arms and legs for the next four years while Hendrix comes in with packages set up for him to keep defenses on their toes.  More probable Hendrix starts and Golson comes in with specific packages next year and we go from there.