Notre Dame Football: Could Four Different Quarterbacks See Field This Season?

Make no mistake: Notre Dame is in a far better state with their quarterback position than they were a year ago. There are currently four quarterbacks that could see time on the field this year for the Irish, depending on how the season develops.


At the beginning of the 2010 season, the Irish had ZERO quarterbacks on their roster with any game experience and were heading into the unknown with a new head coach.  After starter Dayne Crist's season-ending injury, true freshman Tommy Rees stepped in and played well as the Irish finished the season on a four-game winning streak.

Since the 2010 season ended, Crist has been ahead of schedule in recovering from his torn patellar tendon, Tommy Rees has continued to gain valuable experience and knowledge of the system, and the Irish have added two new athletic young quarterbacks who might one day dethrone either Crist or Rees.

Quarterback Roster

• Dayne Crist (Senior) 6-4/235 - Despite the injury, he's considered the front-runner because of his experience.  In a new system, he had several  uneven performances that may have had more to do with the team adjusting to a new system and uneven play calling than Crist's abilities.  For the season (over seven games), he passed for 2,033 yards with a 59.2 completion percentage, and threw 15 touchdowns against seven interceptions.  
• Tommy Rees (Sophomore) 6-2/210 - Stepped in for Crist after the injury in the Tulsa game, and played as well (or better) than Crist for the remainder of the season.  His success might have been partially due to the renewed running game that the Irish featured in the back half of the season, with Cierre Wood as a tangible threat.  Season stats: 1106 yards, 61%, 12 TDs, 8 INTs
• Andrew Hendrix (Sophomore) 6-2/218   - A four-star recruit a year ago who ran the Scout team for the Irish last year. Eventually beat out former Irish QB Nate Montana for the third quarterback position.  He's far more athletic than either Crist or Rees, which is a huge plus in Kelly's system.
• Everett Golson (Freshman) 6-0/180 - Also more athletic than Crist or Rees, Golson enrolled at Notre Dame before spring practice to get a head start and impressed Coach Kelly with his speed and ability. The heralded four-star recruit threw for 151 TDs over his high school career, and could see time this year as a change-of-pace quarterback in certain situations.

Here's a few good articles that give more detail about the upcoming quarterback battle:

• Let's Go Irish
• Rivals at Yahoo