Spring Game Shows Brian Kelly Officially in Best Bad Position for QB Battle

Brian Kelly entered Notre Dame’s spring game hoping for separation between DeShone Kizer and Malik Zaire in their battle to become the Fighting Irish’s starting quarterback.

He didn’t get it. Instead, Notre Dame’s head coach continued to stare at a difficult choice Saturday as his team wrapped up spring practice with a 17-10 Blue squad win in the Blue-Gold game. Both Kizer and Zaire flashed solid skills while running the offense, and each showed signs the competition will carry into fall practice. Per CSN Chicago's JJ Stankevitz, Coach Kelly noted neither player definitively won the QB battle:

Kelly is in the best bad position possible as summer begins. He has two talented quarterbacks on his roster but no sign that either has made a move forward with four-plus months until the 2016 season opener against Texas.

“They did a nice job,” Kelly told NBC Sports Network’s Jac Collinsworth on the telecast following the game, “but I don’t think anyone separated themselves.”

That’s a distinct contrast from last spring, when Zaire beat out incumbent Everett Golson to become the Irish’s starter. Golson transferred to Florida State, leaving Zaire as the man until he broke his ankle in the second week against Virginia.

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Kizer stepped forward, leading Notre Dame to a 10-win season and Fiesta Bowl berth while throwing for 2,884 yards with 21 touchdowns against 10 interceptions. Zaire’s return to health this spring left Kelly with a quarterback quandary.

Ideally, one signal-caller would have made a name for himself Saturday. Instead, both showed they were competent in running the offense. Neither played after halftime, and Kizer’s Blue team outscored Zaire’s Gold team 10-7 in the first half.

Kizer completed 10 of 17 passes for 113 yards with 22 rushing yards, while Zaire went 6-of-15 for 120 yards passing with 18 rushing yards and a 12-yard rushing touchdown, per stats from the NBCSN broadcast. According to WSBT's Carl Deffenbaugh, Coach Kelly felt Zaire's TD run was confirmation he has recovered from last year's injury:

“They’re managing the little things, getting guys lined up right, making sure they get into the right protections,” Kelly said on the broadcast. “I think both have done a good job. Both have handled themselves well. I don’t think anything earth-shaking has happened.”

If anything, Kizer was slightly more consistent. He completed his first five passes, including a nice play-action throw to incoming freshman Kevin Stepherson. Kizer finished a touchdown drive with a read-option handoff for a score and showed comfort in the offense by audibling out of a pair of plays in favor of successful quarterback draws.

Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press

Meanwhile, Zaire completed just one of his first five passes but led a strong second-quarter drive that covered 92 yards, throwing for 79 yards on the drive. He had the day’s best pass—a deep throw that receiver Torii Hunter Jr. hauled in for a 50-yard gain, and he finished the drive with a 13-yard touchdown run.

So what does Kelly do now? Both Kizer and Zaire have shown they can win as the starting quarterback, but only one can be the starter.

When he makes the choice (as he inevitably will), Kelly also runs the risk of forcing a transfer. Zaire has two years of eligibility remaining, while Kizer has three years left. Of course, 2015 showed the value of having two quality quarterbacks on the roster.

Kelly's track record shows he is not concerned about waiting until deep in preseason practice to pick a starter. He could also learn from what Fiesta Bowl opponent Ohio State and Urban Meyer went through in a similar situation last fall.

Meyer and the Buckeyes agonized between J.T. Barrett and Cardale Jones, picking Jones as the starter for the opener against Virginia Tech.

Ross D. Franklin/Associated Press

Jones started seven games, but the offense sputtered at times under his control. He finished with 1,460 yards with eight touchdowns against five interceptions, while Barrett, who claimed the job by season's end, had 992 yards with 11 touchdowns against four interceptions. This spring, the job is Barrett's after Jones left early for the NFL draft. 

In reference to that situation, Kelly said: "So I'll make sure that doesn't happen to us," per the Associated Press (via ESPN.com). "We'll have an identity. We'll know who we are."

The decision, whatever it winds up being, should work out well for a Notre Dame offense that is replacing seven starters. It’s just a matter of making that decision.

For Kelly, that will be the toughest part.