Notre Dame Football Recruiting: Devin Fuller Better QB Choice Than Gunner Kiel

While Gunner Kiel is the higher-rated quarterback, Devin Fuller is the better one for Notre Dame and Brian Kelly's offensive system. 

According to Stephen Spiewak of Maxpreps, Notre Dame is in pursuit of Fuller and are still awaiting a decision from Kiel.

Notre Dame originally recruited Fuller to play defensive back, but they have since changed their tone and are now pursuing him as a quarterback. And that's why he's a better fit for Brian Kelly's system.

Quarterbacks aren't rated by sites like Scout or Rivals based on fitting into a system. That's not a criticism—there are too many different offensive systems in college football for that to even be possible. So, while we can't ignore those rankings, we need to take a look at their specific skill sets when determining how they will fit in a current offense. 

Kiel is not a statue in the pocket. Think of him like a Ben Roethlisberger. He's big and can move around okay to avoid sacks and buy time, but defenses rarely need to worry about him taking off and running for several yards. 

Kelly's system will call for a quarterback that can take off and beat you with his legs, as well as his arms. A strong, pure passer will have a limited value in that system, especially as the recruits from Charlie Weis' pro-style offense start to graduate.

Whoever starts at quarterback next year will already have to deal with the loss of Michael Floyd. Kelly has kept a lot of Weis' offense in his first two years, but that was largely based around getting the ball to Floyd. 

When Kelly's receivers, backs and tight ends come to South Bend and start making their influence felt, quarterbacks like Kiel will have limited weapons for their skill set. 

Looking at his past stops, Kelly's best success has been when he's had a quarterback who can run as well as throw. He's adapted well to Weis' system, but as his players begin to come in more, it's going to be harder to do.

In other words, we're going to get seasons similar to the first two. Plenty of positives but not on the level of the nation's top teams. 

If Kelly brings in his own type of quarterback to play with his kind of skill players, they have a better chance to bring true success. 

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