Advertisement
football Edit

Notre Dame’s QB Offer List Through The Brian Kelly Era

In three of the last four recruiting cycles from 2018-21, Notre Dame found no need to extend many quarterback offers.

That’s because a signal-caller was the first to commit in 2021 with Tyler Buchner (March 18, 2019), Drew Pyne in 2020 (April 16, 2018) and Phil Jurkovec in 2018 (May 16, 2016) — even prior to their junior seasons in high school.


Get a FREE 60-day trial using promo code Irish60

Advertisement
Notre Dame fifth-year senior quarterback Ian Book and former Irish quarterback Brandon Wimbush
Ian Book (12) and Brandon Wimbush (7) had originally committed to Washington State and Penn State, respectively. (Jake Roth/USA TODAY Sports)

Jurkovec now is at Boston College, where he was granted a waiver by the NCAA that allows him to be eligible this season.

A quarterback won’t be the first to give his pledge to Notre Dame in 2022 (offensive lineman Joey Tanona and tight end Jack Nickel already are aboard), but the initial scholarship offers were extended this week to a pair of four-star prospects in Oradell, N.J. native Steven Angeli and Owensboro Ky., resident Gavin Wimsatt.


Naturally, Angeli is listed as a pro-style prospect while Wimsatt is labeled a dual figure. Angeli is from the same high school (Bergen Catholic) as 2000-01 Fighting Irish quarterback Matt LoVecchio, who transferred as a junior to Indiana.

A constant in the 10-year Brian Kelly era has been since 2011, Notre Dame has never signed more than one quarterback in a class. More than ever in today’s college football, a No. 3-listed quarterback (and sometimes No. 2) at a school is bound to transfer if he sees no opening for playing time, so two in one class is a virtual guarantee that the one behind the other will seek greener pastures for playing time.

The exception occurred in Kelly’s first season, when Tommy Rees and Andrew Hendrix had both committed to former head coach Charlie Weis’ staff. In the final week of that recruiting cycle, former Cincinnati head coach Kelly would add Cincinnati native Luke Massa, who would accept shortly thereafter a move to receiver.

Here is the breakdown of quarterbacks offered each year in the Kelly era:

2021 Commit: Tyler Buchner

The consummate dual threat put up cartoonish numbers last season with 4,474 yards passing and 53 touchdowns, plus 1,610 yards rushing with 28 scores during a 12-1 campaign

How Many Offered (2): Preston Stone, another dual threat, committed to SMU.

2020 Commit: Drew Pyne

Four-star native from Connecticut became the first Irish quarterback to enroll in January in seven years (Malik Zaire in 2013).

How Many Offered (1): Once Pyne gave his pledge early, Notre Dame was settled at the position with the prospect of a rare four scholarship signal-callers on the 2020 spring roster — until Jurkovec transferred.

2019 Signee: Brendon Clark

Four-star pro-style figure Cade McNamara gave the commit first to Notre Dame before opting to join Michigan instead. The Irish then zeroed in on Graham Mertz, but he never ended up visiting and would sign with Wisconsin.

At that point, Virginia native Clark — who had given his pledge to Wake Forest — became a top target and switched to Notre Dame for good on July 4, 2018.

How Many Offered (9): They included a pair of five stars in pro-style passer Bo Nix (Auburn) and dual threat Spencer Rattler (Oklahoma).

2018 Signee: Phil Jurkovec

Appeared to come from central casting as a Top-100 threat from western Pennsylvania, and he was an ardent recruiter for the Irish after committing prior to his junior year.

How Many Offered (2): California’s J.T. Daniels put on a clinic at the 2015 Irish Invasion camp in Notre Dame Stadium, and would start at USC as a 2018 freshman. He is now at the University of Georgia, where he too received a waiver to play in 2020 after an injury sidelined him in 2019.

2017 Signee: Avery Davis

Three-star Texas speedster currently is lining up at slot after having also auditioned at cornerback and running back.

How Many Offered (3): Five-star Indiana native Hunter Johnson seemed like a natural for the Irish, but opted for Clemson. With Trevor Lawrence joining the next season, Johnson transferred to Northwestern, where he made five starts last year on a struggling offense.

The third, Hendon Hooker, signed with Virginia Tech, where he had eight starts last season, but not in the 21-20 loss at Notre Dame while injured.

2016 Signee: Ian Book

The most accomplished quarterback in the Kelly era was an afterthought as a three-star prospect after the Irish missed out on bigger game such as five stars Jacob Eason — whose father Tony was a Notre Dame wideout from 1984-87 — and Shea Patterson.

Both transferred from SEC schools, Eason from Georgia and Patterson from Ole Miss, to start at Washington and Michigan, respectively.

Meanwhile, California native Book had originally committed to the pass-happy Mike Leach offense at Washington State before his change of heart.

How Many Offered (9): Others offered this year included Dwayne Haskins (Ohio State), Malik Henry (Florida State), Jawon Pass (Louisville) and Matt Fink (USC).

2015 Signee: Brandon Wimbush

California’s mercurial Blake Barnett committed early to the Irish, but eventually switched to Alabama, transferred to Arizona State and finished at South Florida.

Thus, in October 2014, Notre Dame was able to land New Jersey’s dual threat Wimbush, who posted a 13-3 ledger as the Irish starter with numerous quality wins before getting leapfrogged by the more accurate passer Book. Like Book, he too had originally pledged elsewhere (Penn State).

How Many Offered (10): This group included five-star and first-round pick Josh Rosen (UCLA), Heisman winner and No. 1 overall selection Kyler Murray (Oklahoma, via Texas A&M), and Deondre Francois (Florida State).

2014 Signee: DeShone Kizer

The lone quarterback drafted in the Kelly era (second round as a junior), the four-star Ohio native came out of nowhere with a superb sophomore season for the 10-3 team in 2015 after the transfer of Everett Golson and season ending injury to Zaire in game two.

How Many Offered (5): Kizer and Brandon Dawkins (Arizona) were listed as the dual threats, while Kyle Allen (Texas A&M), David Cornwell (Alabama) and Jacob Park (Georgia) were the pro-style figures.

2013 Signee: Malik Zaire

His moment in the sun came by ending 2014 as the MVP in the Music City Bowl in the 31-28 victory versus LSU in his first career start, and then opening 2015 with a blistering performance in the 38-3 rout of Texas before a season-ending injury the following week basically shelved him the rest of his career.

How Many Offered (8): The Irish heavily pursued Matt Alviti (Northwestern) too, and Tyrone Swoopes (Texas) would help lead a win over the Irish to open the 2016 campaign.

2012 Signee: Gunner Kiel

This five-star Indiana product fell into the collective Irish lap in January 2012 after he decommitted from Indiana and had an 11th-hour change of heart to enroll early at LSU — but did so at Notre Dame instead.

He would transfer the following year to Cincinnati.

How Many Offered (4): Future Heisman winner Jameis Winston (Florida State) joined Kiel as a five-star prospect. Prior to Kiel’s surprise decision, Notre Dame was pursuing three-star Matty Mauk, who signed with Missouri.

2011 Signee: Everett Golson

South Carolina native originally committed to North Carolina before switching late (Dec. 3, 2010) to Notre Dame and signing as a three-star prospect.

How Many Offered (8): This group included Braxton Miller (Ohio State), Jacoby Brissett (Florida), Marquise Williams (North Carolina) and Max Wittek (USC).

CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE CONVERSATION IN ROCKNE’S ROUNDTABLE!

----

• Learn more about our print and digital publication, Blue & Gold Illustrated.

• Watch our videos and subscribe to our YouTube channel

• Sign up for Blue & Gold's news alerts and daily newsletter

Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes

• Follow us on Twitter: @BGINews, @BGI_LouSomogyi, @Rivals_Singer, @PatrickEngel_, @ToddBurlage and @AndrewMentock.

• Like us on Facebook.

Advertisement