Notre Dame Football Recruiting: Fans Should Cut Gunner Kiel Some Slack

Last week heralded quarterback prospect Gunner Kiel chose to attend the University of Notre Dame after weeks of speculation.

The treatment that he received from a number of college football fans was, and continues to be, completely uncalled for.

The question that's begging to be asked to fans who have been heckling Kiel for committing to three different schools during the course of the recruiting process (Indiana, LSU and Notre Dame) is a simple one.

Don't you remember what it was like to be 18 years old?

If anyone can relate to Kiel, it's yours truly. As a 19-year-old collegiate sophomore, I vividly remember how stressful the college selection process was, regardless of the fact that I wasn't a highly recruited athlete such as Kiel.

The fact that the Columbus, Indiana native had to mix football and academics in one decision likely added even more stress and confusion to a process that is notoriously difficult.

If you are/were one of those fans who gave Kiel trouble for his up and down recruitment, I challenge you to place yourself in his shoes. Imagine having scholarship offers from nearly every major college football program in America. I don't think you'd find it anywhere near easy to make the right decision.

There's no doubt that Kiel, as well as most other high-profile recruits, wish someone else would make the decision of which school to attend for them.

The attention that players such as Kiel receive comes with a price.

Their personal lives become not so personal as coaches from across the country call and text on a daily basis, while fans follow players' every move through social media outlets such as Twitter and Facebook.

What college football fans should be doing is encouraging these young men to make the best possible decision, as the four years a person spends on a college campus can determine the rest of his or her life.

For anyone to think that Kiel's decision to spurn LSU was a slight to the Tigers is nothing short of ridiculous. It simply wasn't best for him, and Notre Dame was.

The moral of the story is to think before you make a judgement about Kiel and his choice to attend Notre Dame.

Think about how you'd feel if placed in his position.

Food for thought.