Gunner Kiel: Report States Top QB Recruit Will Officially Attend Notre Dame

Gunner Kiel is a top-notch college football recruit who's received offers from all over the country, but he's had a tough time deciding between LSU and Notre Dame. 

UPDATE: January 17, 12:45pm EST

Gunner Kiel has enrolled at Notre Dame, according to CBS' Bryan Fischer. 

First Kiel committed to Indiana but later changed his mind. He waited throughout the fall and made the choice to enroll early at LSU.

Now Kiel is going back on his word once again, as Adam Gorney of Rivals first reported he wouldn't attend LSU. Not long after, The Observer said it is official—Kiel will soon attend Notre Dame:

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A University staff member has confirmed to The Observer that Kiel is expected to be living in O'Neill Hall by the end of the week. The staff member remained anonymous because the staff member was not authorized to discuss specific students and their enrollments.

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Of course, nothing is truly set in stone until Kiel signs a national letter of intent. Until we hear from the kid himself, it's tough to believe anything.  

But the report is from The Observer, which is the student-run newspaper for Notre Dame, so there's a strong chance it is right on this. It's hard to know what the actual truth is unless it's coming straight from Kiel's mouth.

Still, though, if true, this is big news for the Fighting Irish because the past couple of seasons they've had problems with quarterback play. What's more, they lost an offensive lineman recruit to Ohio State just a day before this craziness ensued.

Notre Dame now has a 5-star recruit ready to learn the system this semester, which heats up the quarterback race during the spring and the summer.

Tommy Rees was the main starter for the Fighting Irish, but later in the season he and Andrew Hendrix were splitting playing time.

The addition of Kiel forces head coach Brian Kelly to have another intense battle for the starting quarterback job before the season starts. With three solid options to chose from, it wouldn't be a surprise if the man loses sleep at night over such a tough decision.

Listed at 6'4", 220 pounds, Kiel will get a lot of looks because of his strong arm and his ability to thrive as a pocket passer. The incoming freshman is also very athletic, meaning he can make plays with his feet if he needs to.

Hendrix can as well, and Rees isn't terrible either, which means it will all come down to who is the better passer.

Rivals.com compares Kiel to Peyton Manning, which could indicate he'll be the one to start. What is very interesting, though, is the fact Rivals shows Tim Hinton as the one who recruited Kiel to Notre Dame.

Hinton recently left the Fighting Irish to go coach with Urban Meyer at Ohio State. It does seem strange that Kiel would back out of LSU and pick Notre Dame even though Hinton is now gone.

It raises a few questions, but then again, so does this entire fiasco.

Kiel has flip-flopped multiple times, showcasing the latest trend in college football. Committing to and de-committing from schools is happening much more these days, and it isn't all that great for the sport.

Teams are trying to steal recruits from one another, doing whatever it takes to land the coveted prospects. Verbal commitments don't mean as much these days, so continue to watch this story with Kiel.

We have word from trusted media outlets—now the next step is to hear from Kiel himself.