Notre Dame Football: 5 Toughest QBs Irish Will Face in 2015
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — One way or another, quarterback play is usually the epicenter of Notre Dame football discussions.
The Irish have gained clarity in their own signal-caller situation, with Everett Golson announcing his transfer to Florida State, leaving the keys to head coach Brian Kelly’s offense to Malik Zaire.
There has been and will be plenty of time to dissect Zaire’s play and Notre Dame’s offensive identity. For now, let’s take a look at the other side and analyze the toughest opposing quarterbacks the Irish will face in 2015.
We’ll consider the past performance of each quarterback and attempt to analyze each player on his own merit.
5. Kevin Hogan
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It’s been an interesting career for Stanford fifth-year senior Kevin Hogan, who cracked our preseason list last year as the third-toughest quarterback to face the Irish in 2014.
After winning all five of his starts as a sophomore in 2012, including a Rose Bowl victory, Hogan tossed for 2,630 yards, 20 touchdowns and 10 interceptions as a junior two seasons ago. He won the first 10 starts of his collegiate career but has since gone 14-8, as the Cardinal slipped to 8-5 in 2014.
Still, Hogan threw for 2,792 yards and 19 touchdowns (to just eight interceptions) in 2014, while completing 66 percent of his passes (an improvement from his 61 percent rate in 2013).
In January, Hogan announced he would return for a fifth season and said there was no truth to rumors that he considered transferring, per a press release from the football program.
“I thought it was kind of funny at times because I had no idea where it came from,” Hogan said in the release. “You’d have to be crazy to transfer from Stanford. I love this place.”
Hogan is one of the most experienced quarterbacks the Irish will face in 2015. That being said, Notre Dame is quite familiar with him. Brian VanGorder’s defense limited him to 18-of-36 passing for 158 yards and two interceptions in the Irish victory last season at a rainy Notre Dame Stadium. Hogan was 12-of-18 for 158 yards, one score and two picks in the 2013 meeting.
4. Deshaun Watson
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Of all of the quarterbacks discussed here, Clemson sophomore Deshaun Watson may have the highest upside. If not for a torn ACL suffered last year as a true freshman, the Gainesville, Georgia, product could be even higher on this list.
The dual-threat quarterback played in eight games, making five starts while battling a broken hand and sprained knee, before his season ended. He broke out against No. 1 Florida State in late September, throwing for 266 yards and rushing for a touchdown in the losing effort. In his first career start the very next week, Watson posted 435 passing yards and six touchdowns, a Clemson record. In total, he notched 14 touchdown tosses with only two interceptions and completed 68 percent of his passes.
In an April interview with Sports Illustrated, Watson said he’s “about four months out” and has been rehabbing and “watching from a distance” with Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney.
If Watson is fully ready for the season opener against Wofford, he should have enough time (three games, including a meaningful matchup with Louisville in Week 3) to start rounding back into form before Notre Dame comes to town Oct. 3.
Just how healthy Watson is and how quickly he regains his promising ability will go a long way in determining Notre Dame’s fate in its marquee road game.
3. Keenan Reynolds
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Yes, he’s still there, Irish fans.
Navy quarterback Keenan Reynolds is back in blue and gold for his senior year with the Midshipmen. Through three seasons, Reynolds has racked up 64 career rushing touchdowns, the most by a quarterback in NCAA history and tied for the fourth-most in history, regardless of position.
Reynolds is 21-11 all-time as the starter at Navy, though he hasn’t done it against elite competition, of course. That reasoning kept him off our list last year but won’t be sufficient this time around. After all, Reynolds and the Midshipmen nearly took down the Irish in 2014, carrying a lead into the fourth quarter and pulling within three in the final minutes. In 2013, the Irish only won by three at home.
Notre Dame is still searching for the answer against the option, and Reynolds is a potent operator ready to ride into South Bend in October.
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2. Justin Thomas
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Speaking of the option, Notre Dame will face its first of two such attacks when it hosts Georgia Tech and standout quarterback Justin Thomas in Week 3.
As a redshirt sophomore in 2014, Thomas rushed for 1,086 yards and eight scores, while adding 1,719 yards and 18 touchdowns through the air. He scampered for three touchdowns on the ground en route to MVP honors in the Orange Bowl victory over Mississippi State.
In 2015, however, Thomas will be tasked with leading a ground game that lost its next four top rushers. Still, his dual-threat ability—Thomas had passing touchdowns in all but four games in 2014—gives him the edge over Reynolds, and Watson’s health holds him back—for now.
1. Cody Kessler
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Some of the previous positioning among the first four quarterbacks mentioned is up for debate. At No. 1, however, the choice was fairly clear.
USC redshirt senior quarterback Cody Kessler is one of the most accomplished signal-callers in the country. The Bakersfield, California, native completed 69.7 percent of his passes last season and heaved 39 touchdowns to only five interceptions. For his career, he’s compiled a 67.9 completion percentage, and his touchdown-to-interception ratio is a tidy 59-to-12.
For more specific evidence, Kessler shredded Notre Dame’s withered defense in the final week of the 2014 regular season. He tossed six touchdowns and completed 32 of 40 passes for 372 yards.
That record-setting performance was assuredly buoyed by Notre Dame’s lengthy injury report, but not enough to take away from what Kessler has done throughout his entire career.
An efficient veteran quarterback will visit Notre Dame Stadium one more time—under the lights in mid-October.
All quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
Mike Monaco is a lead Notre Dame writer for Bleacher Report. Follow @MikeMonaco_ on Twitter.
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