Notre Dame Football: Brian Kelly Hanging His Hat on Dayne Crist with Big Hopes

The wait is over for Notre Dame fans, as Brian Kelly just announced that Dayne Crist will start this season for the Fighting Irish.

I wrote this piece yesterday on why Tommy Rees was the better fit for Notre Dame, but Kelly and some angry Irish fans disagree.

Crist started the 2010 season but was sidelined halfway through with a second injury to his knee. Fortunately for him, as featured columnist Mike Muratore pointed out, this injury does not make him any more susceptible to injury than Rees. Having a consistent quarterback this season can only be a benefit for the Irish.

The biggest issue Crist faced last year other than his injury was in his short passing game, a facet of the offense that Brian Kelly loves. Longer passes are more Crist’s style, as evidenced by his 6.92 yards per attempt compared to Rees’ 6.74.

One would hope that someone with Crist’s talent would be able get the short passes on target with practice this offseason.

He is also mobile enough to run the ball as needed, and he only had two games where he lost yards rushing last season.

But perhaps the thing that sets Crist apart from Rees more so than anything else is his decision-making. In nine games at quarterback, Crist threw as many interceptions as Rees did in four.

The flip side is that Rees completed a higher percentage of his passes—even if a good amount went to the other team—and won all four games that he started as a freshman.

Crist was a 5-star prospect coming out of high school while Rees was not as highly recruited but has obviously proven that he can play at the highest level given how far the quarterback competition went this offseason.

Notre Dame likely won’t face a tough defense until Michigan State comes into town in what figures to be another great game.

With Johnny Adams and Trenton Robinson in the secondary and an aggressive defensive line, Notre Dame will need all of the mobility, accuracy and decision-making it can get. And with Pitt and Air Force following closely on their heels, Crist and Michael Floyd will need to catch up on lost time in a hurry.

The future for Rees is now up in the air with touted quarterbacks Everett Golson and Andrew Hendrix waiting in the wings.

What isn’t up in the air is Dayne Crist’s future at quarterback. And if Brian Kelly thinks that the guy who is best ready for that is Crist, then he is clearly the right choice for Notre Dame.

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