Gunner Kiel Commits to LSU: Will Kiel Be the Tigers' Starter in 2012?

The LSU Tigers have made it to three BCS championship games in the past nine years, and they’ve managed to do so without ever having a true standout quarterback to lead them there.

“Game managers” like Matt Mauck, Matt Flynn, Jordan Jefferson and Jarrett Lee all did their part to help the Tigers reach the promised land during title runs in 2003, 2007 and of course, this year. But now it looks look like LSU will finally have the opportunity to put a true difference-maker under center, instead of just another “game manager.”

That’s because the nation’s No. 1 quarterback prospect of the 2012 recruiting class, Gunner Kiel, announced his commitment to coach Les Miles and the Tigers.

Kiel, who plays for Columbus East high school in Columbus, Ind., held offers from nearly every big school you could possibly think of, such as Alabama, Georgia, Michigan, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oklahoma and USC.

The lure of playing for the No. 1 team in the country turned out to be just too inviting, though.

After originally announcing over the summer that he intended to stay in his home state and play for Indiana (Gunner’s older brother Dusty is a sophomore quarterback for the Hoosiers), Kiel decided in late October to decommit and open his recruiting back up.

The 6'4", 210-pound high school senior is rated as a five-star prospect by both Scout and Rivals recruiting services, and if you’ve watched any of his highlights on Youtube, you can definitely see why recruiting analysts are so enamored with him.

Kiel, who led Columbus East to a 12-2 record and totaled 39 touchdowns as a senior, has the type of size, arm and intangibles that all of the elite quarterback prospects of years past were blessed with, and he’s got the type of skill set to grow into a future star in the collegiate ranks.

The question that LSU fans will now be asking, though, is will Kiel be the starting quarterback for LSU when the Tigers take on North Texas in the season opener of the 2012 season?

Jordan Jefferson and Jarrett Lee, the two top quarterbacks on LSU’s depth chart, are both seniors, and both will play their last game in an LSU uniform against Alabama in the national championship game on Jan. 9.

Sophomore Zach Mettenberger was expected to be the favorite to win the quarterback job during the offseason, but now Mettenberger—a highly touted JUCO recruit who started his career off at Georgia—will have a battle on his hands from Kiel, who plans to enroll early at LSU, which will allow him even more time to learn the offense.

Mettenberger, who was a heralded high school recruit in his own right back in 2009, has the benefit of having a year of experience in LSU’s offensive system, but there is sure to be a contingent of fans who want to see Kiel get the nod at quarterback.

LSU isn’t exactly a stranger to signing high-profile quarterback recruits. In 2003, the Tigers inked JaMarcus Russell out of Mobile, Ala., and in 2005, they reeled in in-state stud passer Ryan Perrilloux.

While Russell ended up fulfilling his potential and developing into the No. 1 overall pick of the 2007 NFL draft, the same can’t be said for Perrilloux.

Perrilloux, a high school All-American and one of the top-rated recruits of the 2005 class, failed to materialize into the star that many thought he would become in Baton Rouge, and he ultimately ended up getting kicked off the team in 2008.

While Kiel and Perrilloux share the similarity of being tremendous high school quarterback prospects, LSU fans won’t have to worry, because Kiel has shown none of the same type of attitude problems and flaws that ultimately doomed Perrilloux.

From all indications, Kiel is a humble and hard-working young player that sounds like he’s going to be eager to get to work when he arrives in Baton Rouge.

Only time will tell if the high school star will be able to live up the lofty expectations that will be thrust onto his shoulders. But if Kiel comes in and picks up the system quickly, there’s no doubt that Les Miles and offensive coordinator Greg Studrawa will give him every opportunity to beat out Zach Mettenberger and win the starting quarterback job as a true freshman.