For the second year in a row, the primary focus for many Notre Dame fans when the team takes the field for the Blue-Gold game will be on the quarterback position. It was just one year ago when Everett Golson and Malik Zaire each showed out, leaving coach Brian Kelly considering a two-quarterback system heading into the offseason.
Golson transferred to Florida State over the summer. After a strong showing in the opener against Texas, Zaire went down with a season-ending injury in Week 2 against Virginia. Redshirt freshman DeShone Kizer was thrust into the spotlight and delivered, leading the Irish to nine wins over their next 10 games as Notre Dame evolved into a College Football Playoff contender.
Kizer's back and would like to continue his successful run as QB1. Zaire, now healthy, would like the starting job he earned heading into week one a year ago. Brandon Wimbush, a blue chip dual-threat quarterback from New Jersey, has something to say in this competition as well. With the 2016 spring practice coming to a close on Saturday in the Blue-Gold game, the biggest storyline is once again under center.
"'Competitive not combative,' that's been a line we've used for the last year and a half," offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Mike Sanford told reporters earlier this month. "The good news is, you quickly forget about it, but we went through this a year ago. A very similar situation, thought we navigated those waters pretty well. Obviously, it proved itself how important it was for the third quarterback to be prepared to play as well.
"All three of those guys getting mental reps when they're not in there and for them to grow individually is vastly important for our football team. We always want to focus on the top guy at any particular position, quarterback or otherwise, but often times you're only as good as your second, third or fourth group of players at that position. We saw that last year, a guy that we weren't even talking about in these meetings a year ago ended up taking 90 percent of the reps on the season."
So who starts against Texas in the 2016 opener?
Brandon Wimbush, sophomore: Wimbush had to play last season, briefly, because of the depth issues at quarterback. If Notre Dame has its way, the No. 3 dual-threat quarterback from the 2015 recruiting class will have the opportunity to redshirt this season and preserve a year of eligibility.
All spring practice reports point to Wimbush taking third-team reps. I'm sure Kelly and Sanford would point to the "mental reps" he's getting in the competition as valuable experience, but it sounds like Wimbush is very much running third in this competition. As long as the players ahead of him stay healthy (this is where you go knock on wood and rub rabbits feet), we won't see the top-50 talent on the field again until 2017.
DeShone Kizer, junior: Sanford says the rep distribution between Kizer and Zaire has been "almost" identical, which has been intentional for the purposes of the competition. The advantage that Kizer has on Zaire is experience, not on campus or with the program but definitely on the field. The Ohio native threw for 2,884 yards, 21 touchdowns and 10 interceptions last year, also proving to be a valuable threat on the ground with 520 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Kizer and Zaire will each lead different teams during Saturday's Blue-Gold Game. Getting to see each player in the No. 1 spot will provide plenty of entertainment for fans and plenty of good tape for coaches to break down over the next several weeks.
Malik Zaire, senior: With 50 percent of the snaps this spring, Zaire is most certainly back where he was a year ago in the competition against Golson. Though it was Golson's transfer that opened the door for a solid starting spot, Zaire's frustration about another quarterback competition is understandable.
"You just really wonder what it's going to take to finally convince people enough that I'm able to do the job," Zaire said in March, via the Associated Press. "I don't make the decision. I'm going to keep balling and do what I need to do."
Zaire was named MVP of the team's bowl win against LSU in 2014 and played well against Texas, but he lacks the game experience that Kizer got in his absence last season.
Who starts vs. Texas? My bet is that Zaire gets the first snap of the 2016 season, as long as he's comfortable with a two-quarterback attack. You'll hear nothing but positivity from Kelly, Sanford and the quarterbacks on Saturday afternoon, but the real test of this group's chemistry will be the offseason. Zaire offered a few frustrated comments regarding the quarterback competition when spring practice started but has since been in the grind of spring practice and keeping any grievances out of the headlines.
The topic of a potential transfer has less to do with Zaire and more to do with a recent history of quarterback transfers in South Bend with Golson joining Gunner Kiel, Andrew Hendrix and others. Ultimately, I think Zaire stays with Notre Dame, starts against Texas and succeeds in a two-quarterback rotation with Kizer.
Kelly has used multiple quarterbacks several times during his head coaching career, finding the most success with a Tony Pike-Zach Collaros combo during his 12-0 regular season run at Cincinnati. Of course, it was the mention of a two-quarterback system a year ago that predated Golson's transfer, but if both players are on board, then Wimbush can redshirt and Notre Dame can feel comfortable about its depth under center heading into 2016.
