Notre Dame Spring Game: Breaking Down Irish's 4-Way QB Competition

Notre Dame's spring game on April 21 will put the team's quarterback competition under the microscope.

Because, you know, it's not already under the microscope.

The Irish's QB competition has been, is and will be one of the biggest storylines of the 2012 offseason. What makes it intriguing is the fact that there are four different guys competing to be the starter and no clear-cut favorites. This is a battle that will be won with performance, and Notre Dame's spring game is slightly more important than other spring games for that very reason.

Here's a rundown of the combatants.

Tommy Rees

Tommy Rees has the inside track at being Notre Dame's starting quarterback in 2012, if for no other reason than he's the most experienced of the bunch.

Rees is heading into his third season with the Irish, and he has a grand total of 16 starts under his belt. The other three guys in competition with him have a grand total of zero starts under their belts.

That's an obvious plus, and Rees showed flashes here and there in 2011 that proved he has it in him to be a productive quarterback.

The problem with Rees is that he was highly inconsistent in his time under center last season, and he committed a few too many turnovers. Brian Kelly has said that "the guy that takes care of the football will be the starting QB" (see CBSSports.com), and that's a reason to worry about Rees.

If Rees makes any dumb mistakes or commits a turnover in the spring game, he'll be in trouble.

Andrew Hendrix

Andrew Hendrix arrived at Notre Dame as a highly-touted recruit, and he got a taste of the spotlight late in the 2011 season.

Most notably, Hendrix came in and relieved Rees after he committed a few turnovers and took a nasty hit against Stanford in late November. Hendrix wasn't overly efficient in his time under center, but he did manage to throw a touchdown pass and score another with his legs.

Hendrix's mobility is a big plus. He had a 100-yard rushing game against Air Force last season, and he put up solid rushing numbers against Florida State in the Champs Sports Bowl as well. 

Hendrix will have to show that he's a more efficient passer than Rees, or at least an equally efficient passer. If it comes to that, his mobility will help him win the job, as the Irish will have a little more explosiveness on offense with him under center than Rees.

Hendrix is being slightly overlooked in this race, but he shouldn't be. This is a battle he can win.

Everett Golson

Everett Golson is the wild card in this particular battle, as he's an entirely different quarterback from the other three.

Generally speaking, the guys Golson's competing with for the starting job are throw-first, run-second quarterbacks. Golson is more of a dual-threat guy, as he boasts a good arm with fast legs.

He may be a good athlete, but it's anybody's guess whether he's a good quarterback. He redshirted as a freshman, so it goes without saying that it's a mystery how he will fare in game action. The Blue-Gold game will answer that question, but only to an extent.

That puts Golson at a disadvantage. A great performance will open eyes, but a poor performance will be a crucial blow to his chances of winning the starting job. If he can't play well in a scrimmage, why should Kelly have any confidence in him?

Answer: he shouldn't.

Gunner Kiel

And then we come to Gunner Kiel, Notre Dame's prized recruit and the bane of Les Miles' existence.

Look up Kiel's profile on Rivals.com, and it's hard not to notice that the site compares him to Peyton Manning. Your first instinct is to say that Kiel can't be that good, but, well, we don't know.

Kiel faces an uphill battle in this competition, as he's the new kid on the block and the other three guys have all been around South Bend for a while now. If Kelly was going by experience alone, Kiel would be the lowest guy on the totem pole.

The only way Kiel is going to win the starting job is by blowing Kelly's mind out on the field. The good news for Kiel is that he came out of high school as a polished passer, and the same cannot be said of the competition. If Kiel makes good on that reputation in the Blue-Gold game, he might just shoot to the top of the depth chart.

If he does, I can't wait to hear what Les Miles has to say.