2017 Player Projection: QB Brandon Wimbush
Junior quarterback Brandon Wimbush has been waiting for two years to become Notre Dame's starting quarterback, and his time has finally come. Below we preview what Notre Dame fans can expect from Wimbush in his first season as a starter.
BIO
SIZE: 6-1½, 226 pounds
CLASS/ELIGIBILITY: Junior / Sophomore
HOMETOWN: Teaneck, New Jersey
HIGH SCHOOL: St. Peter’s Prep
PREP RANKING
Rivals: 4-star – No. 60 overall – No. 5 QB
ESPN: 4-star – No. 45 overall – No. 5 QB
Scout: 4-star – No. 71 overall – No. 6 QB
247Sports: 4-star – No. 43 overall – No. 5 QB
2016 RECAP
When Malik Zaire went down with a season-ending injury in the second game of the 2015 season, then true freshman Brandon Wimbush was thrust into action. He served as the backup to DeShone Kizer and played in two games.
In order to get back that lost season of eligibility the Notre Dame coaching staff decided to redshirt Wimbush for the 2016 season. Wimbush still has three seasons of eligibility remaining as he heads into his junior season.
2017 EXPECTATIONS
Expectations are sky high for Wimbush, who has to deal with not only being the starting quarterback at Notre Dame, but also the fact he was ranked so high coming out of high school. Kizer’s dominant season as a first-year starter and former quarterback Everett Golson leading the Irish to the title game in his first year as a starter won’t help to temper the enthusiasm for Wimbush.
In his first career game, Wimbush did this:
Sprinting for a 58-yard touchdown in your first action will certainly raise expectations. Wimbush is a top-level athlete that has the size (226 pounds), speed and elusiveness to make a lot of plays with his legs.
Wimbush does a good job using his legs to escape danger in the pocket and when he gets in space he is a serious weapon.
Despite his running ability, Wimbush is more of a pocket passer than he is a runner. He wants to be a pocket passer and he has the tools to do just that. In offensive coordinator Chip Long’s offense, the ability to drop back and throw the ball effectively is the most important attribute for his quarterbacks.
Wimbush has tremendous arm talent, possessing the ability to make every throw in the offense with ease. He can get the ball over top of any defense, and he can power the ball to the sideline, which you can see here:
Wimbush makes this 20-yard comeback route look easy to complete. He drives off his back foot and snaps quickly through the throwing zone and the ball gets on wide receiver Miles Boykin in a hurry.
Wimbush can get the ball from the far hash to the outside as well, which is the toughest throw a quarterback has to make. He can fit the ball into tight windows over the middle and he shows good feel when working the ball up the seams.
A throw Wimbush made throughout the spring is the Cover 2 hole throw, which is one of the harder throws a quarterback will have to make.
We saw him make this throw on multiple occasions in every open practice.
Making this throw requires arm strength, accuracy, good timing and guts. It’s a risky throw and if the quarterback doesn’t get enough air on the ball or if he gets too much air on the ball it is going to get picked off by either the trailing cornerback or the safety coming from the inside.
Wimbush gets the perfect combination of touch and velocity on the throw. His ability to quickly flick the ball outside also helps keep the safety from getting over and making the play.
Another impressive part of Wimbush’s spring performance was his ability to make throws on the run, which is a big part of Long’s offense.
Wimbush does a good job working through his progressions when he throws on the run, and he showed a knack for using the threat to run to get defenders to bite. At that point he would get the ball out to an open receiver.
The ability to power the ball downfield – which he does in the clip right above – makes him especially dangerous as a movement throwing.
Some teams will likely drop underneath the crossing routes if Notre Dame has early success with routes like this. At that point Wimbush’s ability to tuck the ball and make big plays with his legs will give defense’s fits.
Wimbush was a steady player throughout the spring. The most impressive part of his spring performance wasn’t his ability to make incredible throws. His most impressive attributes all spring were his poise and presence. Wimbush conducted himself like a veteran all spring, showing command of the offense and comfort running the show.
His maturity and poised should allow him to get comfortable relatively quickly once the season starts.
Of course, Wimbush still has work to do in order to improve his game.
Wimbush has good pocket presence, but at times his feet get him out of rhythm. He has the arm strength to overcome this when it comes to getting power on the ball, but when his feet get away from him he will find himself not in ready position when it is time to throw the ball.
The result is Wimbush being late on a few throws because he isn’t ready to get the ball out when the receiver is about to break open.
Wimbush also has a tendency to wait for receivers to get out of their breaks before he releases the ball. You can see this in the comeback throw to Boykin. That is a throw that Wimbush needs to let loose of the ball as Boykin gets into his break.
Being a split second late on some of his reads is to be expected of an inexperienced quarterback, but it is an area that Wimbush must continue to work and improve. In the interception throw above, Wimbush isn’t helped by tight end Aliz’e Mack, who lets the ball get into his chest instead of reaching out for the ball.
Although Mack could have made a little better effort on this particular throw, Wimbush should have helped Mack by getting the ball out a split second sooner, which would have made it harder for safety Nick Coleman to break on the route and impact the pass.
Getting more comfortable working through his progressions and being more consistent with his timing are the areas where Wimbush must work in order to maximize his skills as a first-year starter. Those traits will also help him avoid big mistakes and will make it easier for him to play within the system and get the ball where it needs to go.
A GOOD SEASON FOR WIMBUSH WOULD BE ...
One in which Wimbush is able to stay healthy and avoid big mistakes. Wimbush is going to make a lot of plays, he’s just that talented. What he must avoid are the bad plays that kill drives or give opponents easy scores.
Wimbush also needs to make sure he stays within the offense and avoid trying to do too much. There will be a lot of pressure on him to put up big numbers and make big plays, but the key for Wimbush will be to let those plays happen within the framework of the offense. Getting outside of that will lead to a few too many turnovers.
If Wimbush doesn’t press and gets into a good flow his first year as a starter should be an impactful one.
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