Gunner Kiel: Notre Dame Hype Is Unfair to Heap on Unproven QB

There is no end to the depths that we will plunge to sink our sports depravity into. Gunner Kiel is being tasked with lifting Notre Dame out of college football misery, and he is yet to graduate high school. 

The Washington Post reports first-rate high school quarterback Kiel has officially decided to matriculate to Notre Dame next season. 

He will no doubt get a great deal of grief from LSU faithful who may have felt that he spurned them by initially promising he would play under cent for the Tigers. Instead, he chose to leave to South Bend and there is nothing we can do but wish the kid luck. 

We have to remember this is not a college football player taking his name out of the draft at the last second. It's not even a Brett Favre reneging on his retirement. 

This is an amateur athlete that has no idea what real pressure is and is being thrown into the fire by the national media and fans that are swayed by it. 

Kiel certainly has the numbers and is widely considered the top quarterback in the nation. At Columbus High School in Indiana, he passed for 2,517 yards and 28 touchdowns. He passed for 7,175 yards during his high school career.

Via the report, Kiel explained what he looked for in making the biggest decision of his life. 

"

There were three critical elements I was looking for in my future school: the quality of education I would receive, the distance from home and the comfort level I would have with the players and coaches in the football program. Notre Dame was the perfect fit for me because it hit all three areas.

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Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports writes about a recruiting system that has been taking advantage of young athletes for decades. 

We sit here and criticize Kiel for changing his mind a couple of times. In fact, it would be worse for him to settle on a commitment that he knew in his heart was wrong, simply because he gave his word. 

As soon as Kiel steps on the field for the first time, no less than Notre Dame's legacy will be in his hands. At least, that is what fans will believe. So it's only fitting that he make sure he choose the place he will feel most comfortable. 

The news that he chose Notre Dame swept the nation, and that is precisely the problem facing collegiate sports. 

The line separating professional sports and amateur intercollegiate athletics continues to blur. Kiel is getting the star treatment as if he were a proven star that is going to deliver a title. 

Somehow we forgot amidst the scouting and talk of titles that these kids are just that, kids. Let's let him enroll in a course before we begin taking apart what his mental stability will do to his future program. 

Kiel chose to make his decision based on issues outside of sports, and we should practice the same level of consideration with amateur athletes. 

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