Gunner Kiel Will Win the QB Battle After Notre Dame Football Spring Game

Gunner Kiel will emerge as Notre Dame's starting quarterback after the Blue-Gold spring game. The decorated freshman will beat out juniors Tommy Rees and Andrew Hendrix.

Kiel enters South Bend as a ballyhooed 5-star recruit. He was Rivals.com's No. 1-rated quarterback in 2012, and the No. 20 overall recruit.

The Fighting Irish won a major recruiting battle by luring Kiel from Les Miles and LSU. Notre Dame has not been a major player on recent recruiting trails, but Kiel represents a changing of the guard.

Only five teams threw more interceptions than Notre Dame last season. The Fighting Irish need to go in a new direction behind center.

Here is why Kiel will become the top option for Notre Dame this spring.

Unquestionable Talent

Talent is needed, above everything else, to play quarterback in college football. Kiel is more talented than Hendrix and Rees in every way imaginable.

Kiel has incredible pocket presence for a freshman and the arm to match. He can make any throw on the field and has the head needed to grasp a college playbook.

Rees was solid at times last year, but he is a turnover machine. He threw 14 interceptions and managed to kill several promising drives.

Hendrix is in the same boat. He has talent and mobility, but he is very inconsistent.

Kiel's talent will be a breath of fresh air to eager Irish fans. Notre Dame needs a quarterback who can see the whole field because of the nature of Brian Kelly's spread offense.

Notre Dame's Proud History

Notre Dame is one of the proudest programs in the college football world. Its pride has been damaged in recent years, but Kiel can right the ship.

Notre Dame fans are starving for their program to enter college football's elite. Kiel will not take them to a BCS bowl right away, but his growing pains will pay major dividends down the road.

Fighting Irish fans are proud of Kiel's commitment and proud to have the top quarterback recruit fighting in their corner. Sitting Kiel would be an injustice to that sentiment.

Kiel may not lead Notre Dame back to glory immediately, but Rees and Hendrix will not either.

It is better to lose with upside than to tread water with marginal talents. Fans' hunger for a return to dominance will push Kiel to the top of Notre Dame's depth chart.

Motivation

Kiel will use Les Miles as motivation this spring. Rees, Hendrix and every Irish opponent this season will curse Miles for opening his mouth.

The Daily Reveille posted a video to its website in which Miles questioned Kiel's ability to lead (via ESPN). Questioning a superior talent, out of spite, is rarely a good idea.

Kiel's superb ability would have been a big enough problem for Rees and Hendrix this spring. Adding extra motivation tilts the playing field further in his favor.