Gunner Kiel intends to transfer from Notre Dame, according to the first report from Irish Sports Daily. The locker is cleaned out and Brian Kelly has been informed of the decision. All that remains, is to find out why Kiel intends to transfer and where he wants to transfer to for the 2013 season (of which he will have to sit out for a year).
So what does this mean for the Irish? Well…
@thesubwaydomeroh no the rainbows
— philly kelly(@phillykelly) March 8, 2013
That's right. Kiel is basically, officially, no longer one of Rainbow Brian's sprites.
I believe "next man in" is the philosophy of Kelly and this staff, so I think we can expect the smiling face of Malik Zaire some time soon.
In all seriousness, if we can be serious about a college football player that was committed to two different schools and changed his mind yet again at the 11th hour to attend Notre Dame, this is not a major blow to the Notre Dame program. It's not that I don't believe Kiel to be a good quarterback and an up and coming prospect, because I think he does have the potential despite no real proof to suggest such a statement. No, it's because of what Brian Kelly already has and will continue to have.
First of all, Everett Golson returns after only leading his team to the BCS National Championship Game- and he has 3 years of eligibility remaining. That alone would suggest that the Irish will be alright. However, in 2013 Notre Dame will not only return Golson, but seasoned veterans Tommy Rees and Andrew Hendrix. The former has already proved he can at least win games when called upon. And finally, there is young talent in the making. Zaire is already enrolled (much like Kiel last year) and will now have more opportunities to develop earlier, and Kelly will continue to recruit and sign at least one quarterback a year to keep the roster fortified with talent at the position.
And there you have it. Just another spring and just another 5 star talent transferring away. Last year it was Aaron Lynch and we thought the world was crashing down upon us. Now, it's Gunner Kiel and it's safe to say most of us are shrugging "meh." The former worked out pretty well, but we will have to wait for one or two disastrous plays to find out if this situation also leaves the Irish unscathed.
