Notre Dame Football Recruiting: Gunner Kiel Made Mistake Spurning LSU

Gunner Kiel will rue the day he lied to LSU.

After deciding to move to the Bayou, Kiel got cold feet and chose to stay in his home-state of Indiana and play at Notre Dame. Compared to Les Miles’ crew, the Fighting Irish will be a failure.

Following his change of heart, Brian Hamilton of the Chicago Tribune reported that Kiel's father Kip described the change that he witnessed in his son:

"

Gunner, he’s been a different kid. 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. 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. That’s what it came down to.

"

Kiel chose to play in his backyard instead of across the street even though LSU is a better situation.

He would be surrounded by endless talent on the Tigers. The top competition that he’d face off against every week would do wonders in preparing him to play in the NFL; half of Notre Dame’s schedule is scrubs and they still can’t get to a respectable bowl game. The Fighting Irish have bred nothing but busts at the quarterback position since Joe Montana.

With Kiel under center, LSU would’ve competed for a national championship again next season. Notre Dame, on the other hand, isn’t a legitimate contender. Kiel can’t call Indiana home forever. Instead of setting himself up to succeed, he chose to stay close and disregard every other factor.

David Daniels is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report and a syndicated writer.

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