Why Dayne Crist's Situation at Notre Dame Is an Agent's Worst Nightmare

When Dayne Crist, one of the most heavily recruited players in the country, signed with Notre Dame in 2007, it took many scouts, coaches, and fans by surprise, especially in California, where he played his high school ball.

He was going to a team that had just finished 3-9, and freshman sensation Jimmy Clausen was the known starter for the upcoming season.

So why did he go to Notre Dame when he could have gone to programs such as LSU, UCLA, and Cal and competed for a starting job right away?

It is simple: He is a pro-style quarterback with a pro arm and pro body, and he was ultimately looking towards the future.

Who is better at developing quarterbacks and preparing them for the NFL than Charlie Weis? Nobody. He could come in and learn a pro-style offense and develop his strength, leadership, and instincts and prepare for a future in the NFL. Obviously he was hoping he could win some games as well.

It took him only one practice for the Irish for Weis and several NFL scouts to talk about his great potential, and some even stated he had more upside than Clausen, who is an obvious first-round selection in the upcoming draft. Once Claus left for the NFL and Weis sent his second quarterback in the first round, then Crist was sure to be next.

In fact, there were some out there that had quiet hopes that he might be better than Brady Quinn and Clausen just by watching his brief action against Washington State.

He was an agent's dream, a nice, well-spoken young man who had a great big future ahead, making them a lot of money.

Then Weis, one of his main reasons for coming to Notre Dame, got fired for his third disappointing season, and in came Brian Kelly, the hottest coach on the market. Cheers for Notre Dame for finding a college coach with a proven record, but wait...he runs a spread offense.

Oh, and wait...he has never developed a top-tier first round pick (although Mardy Gilyard this year will be heavily sought after). Oh, and wait—he has no experience in the NFL.

So while the signing of Kelly may have been great news for Notre Dame, it's terrible news for Dayne Crist's hopeful agents.

College quarterbacks that play in a spread offense are less likely to be drafted high when matched up with pro-style quarterbacks. NFL coaches do not want to waste a first round pick on a kid that is going to take two to three years to first understand an NFL playbook and then secondly execute one. Look at JaMarcus Russell, for example.

The spread attack that Kelly runs may build up Crist's stats, but he will always be referred to as a spread offense quarterback, and that is bad news for his agent.

Kelly not developing any NFL talent is most likely because he has never coached at a big-time program. However, the agent does not care why or when; he just wants the bottom line, and that is that Kelly has shown zero evidence in his career of knowing what it takes to play in the NFL.

Why is this important to an agent? Simple: Weis taught Tom Brady, Brady Quinn, and Jimmy Clausen with the understanding of what it takes to be a great quarterback—what it takes to be an NFL quarterback. Mistakes that Quinn and Clausen may have been able to get away with at Notre Dame, Weis was quick to say, "You won't be able to do that on Sundays."

Unfortunately for Crist, Kelly does not have that kind of insight.

Although the draft with its Combine and years of film to watch on each player seems like a foolproof system, it obviously is not. There are busts every year, as well as day two draft picks that make immediate impacts for their clubs. Look at Notre Dame's Chinedum Ndukwe, who was one of the last players drafted and has been an integral part of the Bengals defense since he arrived.

A coach with an NFL background, whether it is a position coach, assistant coach, or head coach, will be taken seriously when he gives a recommendation. Unfortunately, all of the NFL coaches ND had left with Weis, and the entire staff has no NFL experience or knowhow. They do not even have any high-level Division I experience.

Therefore, when Kelly goes to a team in need of a QB and says hey, Dayne Crist is the real deal, it will be taken with a grain of salt as opposed to Lane Kiffin, who has coached in the NFL and whose words may carry a little more weight.

At the end of the day, only time will tell for Dayne Crist, but you can be sure that from the perspective of future agents, they could not be more disappointed in all that has taken place over the last few months with coaching changes, knee injury, and a new offense to learn.