Notre Dame Football: Will Dayne Crist or Tommy Rees Win the Starting QB Job?

With spring football practices in full swing in South Bend, one large question still looms: Who will be the starting quarterback for the Irish in the Fall?

As it stands now, it is a four-man race, but Dayne Crist and Tommy Rees seem to be the front-runners.

Many of the Irish faithful believe that Crist will get the nod.

Crist holds the age and experience advantages over Rees. However, with two major knee injuries in the past two seasons, Crist's durability is questioned by many. Aside from those injuries, he definitely has the most pure talent of any of the quarterbacks in question.

The biggest issue many fans see with Crist is his accuracy. There were many easy throws last season that Crist plain missed. If he wants to win the starting job, he must improve the accuracy of this throws.

Despite not having the age or experience of Dayne Crist, Tommy Rees has proven that he is a flat-out winner.

As a freshman last season, Rees guided the Irish to four straight wins to end the season. Rees' first three starts—all wins—came in the following venues: Notre Dame Stadium, Yankee Stadium, and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Not too shabby for a freshman starting quarterback at Notre Dame.

However, his lack of mobility is a large weakness in his candidacy to win the starting job. His excellent composure under pressure last season is something that can't be ignored, though.

The real question to ask is: Which quarterback is better suited to handle the demands and pressures of head coach Brian Kelly's high-octane spread attack?

The answer to that question at this point in time is Dayne Crist. His experience and talent will give him a slight edge over Tommy Rees to be Notre Dame's starting quarterback against South Florida on September 3.