Notre Dame Football Recruiting: Would Gunner Kiel Make Irish Eyes Smile Again?

All signs point to Gunner Kiel committing to Notre Dame this weekend. While Kiel is a five-star recruit and the highest ranked quarterback by both Scout.com and Rivals.com, that would not be a good thing for Notre Dame. 

According to the Louisville Courier-Journal, Kiel is between Notre Dame, LSU, and Vanderbilt. Notre Dame is the only local choice for Kiel, who is from Indiana. 

In college football, success is not only based on raw talent, but also fitting in with the system of the coach. That's where Kiel and Notre Dame don't fit. 

This is how Scout's profile of Kiel describes him:

"

Kiel has the size you want in a QB, and can also move and plays with his feet. He's not necessarily a dual threat, but is a tough, effective runner and can buy time with his mobility. 

"

Not being a dual threat is a problem in Brian Kelly's system. Yes, he's made it work thus far with Tommy Rees, but that's largely been with Charlie Weis' offensive players. Remember that Weis ran a pro-style offense at Notre Dame, so receivers like Michael Floyd were in a position to succeed. 

Floyd has had a lot to do with Notre Dame's success under Kelly. The problem is that Floyd will not be back next year, and most of Weis' pro-style players are either already out, will be out after this season or are about to leave. 

Therefore, a quarterback like Kiel, who works better in a pro-style offense, won't have the same players around him to succeed. As weapons like Floyd leave Notre Dame, Kelly's offense will be implemented more. 

That means that quarterbacks have to be dual threats. Kiel's not slow, but not mobile enough to really succeed in Kelly's system. 

The best thing about bringing a guy like Kiel in is that he would be kept away from rival schools, but even that's limited. Notre Dame doesn't exactly play LSU and Vanderbilt on an annual basis. 

Kiel is a good quarterback, but his skills won't translate to a lot of success at Notre Dame. Really, they won't be significantly better with a guy like Kiel manning the helm than they are now with Rees.

Yes, Kiel is the better quarterback, but Rees has the better weapons. 

Notre Dame will need a quarterback that can do more than "buy time with his mobility." They will need a guy that can come in and consistently make plays with his arm and his legs. 

While Kiel would be a big name, recruiting him would just be running in place. It wouldn't be the best thing for the recruit or the school.

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