Gunner Kiel to... Notre Dame, after all that?

by John M (The Crimson Quarry) on Jan 17, 2012 9:29 AM EST in Indiana Hoosiers Football

The strange and drawn-out spectacle of the recruitment of Columbus East quarterback Gunner Kiel, the nation's top-rated high school quarterback, seems to have taken a last minute twist. To recap, last summer Kiel shocked the college football world by committing to Indiana over finalists Oklahoma and Alabama. A few weeks later, when IU was mired in a very ugly start to the 2011 season, Kiel decommitted, and Kiel's first post-IU visit was to Notre Dame for the ND-USC game in late October. For whatever reason, the Irish fell out of favor, and Kiel ultimately committed to LSU a couple of weeks ago. Kiel was expected in Baton Rouge yesterday, prior to the first day of classes at LSU, but was a no-show, and late yesterday, word emerged from Notre Dame's student newspaper that: "[a] University staff member has confirmed to The Observer that Kiel is expected to be living in O'Neill Hall by the end of the week. The staff member remained anonymous because the staff member was not authorized to discuss specific students and their enrollments." It gets stranger:

USA Today, quoting LSU's Rivals guy, says it was was simple as this:

"From what I have been told, he is no longer coming to LSU," recruiting expert Michael Scarborough of Rivals.com/TigerBait.com said Monday night. "He wants to come to LSU, but his mother (Aleta Kiel) got very emotional Monday and did not want her son to leave. He plans to enroll in classes at Notre Dame on Tuesday."

Wow. After years of careful research, consultation with coaches, review of game film, consideration of various schools' quarterback depth charts, and who knows what else, his final decision came down to his mother's tears. What I am about to say will sound like sour grapes, but I'm going to say it anyway: IU is probably better off without Gunner. The retort is obvious: "Gunner Kiel would have been IU's biggest recruit in decades! Neither Tre Roberson nor some juco transfer is going to match what Gunner would have added to the program!" That's all very possible. But the odd and flighty behavior of this family during the recruiting saga makes me think that the combination of the Kiel family's...activism, Kevin Wilson's short fuse, and the sort of leverage a player such as Gunner has over a program such as Indiana, might have made for an explosive situation. For IU, Gunner would have been a once-a-generation recruit. For programs such as LSU and Notre Dame, getting the top high school quarterback always is a big deal, but those programs land blue-chippers every year, and will in the future. There will be an appropriate balance of power between Brian Kelly and Gunner and has family. At IU, the Kiels would have had the upper hand. Perhaps it would have worked out. But it also could have been a disaster on and off the field.

All that said, best of luck to Gunner. As odd as the process was, at the eleventh hour he chose a school where he will receive an excellent education and a football program that hasn't found an answer at quarterback. But what a strange ride it's been.

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Screw Kiel. Both of them. I'm sick of hearing about them.

They no longer have any connection to IU. Best of luck to them, sure, but I can’t wait to not talk about them.

A sassy, brassy, classy lassy.

by LoneStarHoosier on Jan 17, 2012 9:56 AM EST reply actions

We could have had Gunner

if Wilson was less an asshole and more a players-coach like Brian Kelly.

/sarcasm

by thunderpup12 on Jan 17, 2012 10:27 AM EST reply actions

Wilson was not purple enough for Gunner's tastes.

A sassy, brassy, classy lassy.

by LoneStarHoosier on Jan 17, 2012 11:01 AM EST up reply actions

Its not about the purple,

But rather the green…..

by HOOSIER NOLE on Jan 18, 2012 3:11 PM EST up reply actions

And what if he starts transferring between colleges after all this? Anyone remember an Indiana star QB from the 80's who did that?

Name of Jeff George?

Now, of course it’s never a foregone conclusion that a player will follow in a previous one’s footsteps. If Gunner and his family are smart, they can avoid making the same mistakes; there’s a glaring example from their own state staring them right in the face, after all. But on the other hand, if he makes any more hops once he’s been matriculated (and no, I don’t mean ‘’down the field’’ ), then the comparisons are going to be inevitable.

Lets hope he finds the right spot. Because otherwise, all that jumping around will hurt appearances if nothing else.

--------
"First they came for the ugly, and I did not speak out because I was not ugly.
Then they came for the nerds, and I did not speak out because D&D IS A RESPECTABLE GAME WITH A LARGE PLAYERBASE OK MOM???
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out because let's be real they always come for the Jews.
Then they came for me, and I did not speak out because they actually came for me back when they came for the nerds."

--
"How can a pickup truck contain enough mass to unfold into a towering machine? I say if Ringling Brothers can get 15 clowns into a Volkswagen, anything is possible."

Roger Ebert, Transformers review.

by E.M.H. on Jan 17, 2012 10:40 AM EST reply actions

Oh, as another note:

I’m oddly unaffected by his jumping around from LSU to Notre Dame, and am already over his decommitment to IU. I know the natural reaction is to get mad, and I admit, I was aggravated at him decamping IU myself. But before letting that emotion get out of control, I have to admit, I can’t actually criticize him too much anymore. I can definitely lodge a critique about promises and making commitments before he was ready to truly commit to a school, but I don’t want to overheat those complaints. Because the fact of the matter is that he’s a kid in a family who’s simply trying to figure out the best situation for him. I don’t know if jumping around is going to help him much, but I’d rather interpret things as he and his folks trying to get him in the best situation for him to blossom, as opposed to viewing it as a selfish campaign to find the place where he’ll get all the stats and worship. I have zero reason to believe it’s the latter, and yes, that’s in spite of my post above (I was saying that the comparison to Jeff George was inevitable, not that it was dead on accurate).

Yes, it’s natural to feel spurned by his decision to decommit. But at the same time, he’s a kid, a literal kid, and he and his parents are trying to find the best situation they can for him. About the only real advice I could imagine to give would be to not overthink things, and just plain see what college is best for his development. But even though I’m disappointed he didn’t come to Bloomington, I’m also determined not to let it poison my opinion of the guy. Maybe he’ll turn out to be a first class a-hole after all is said and done, but it’s at minimum every bit as likely that he’ll turn into an all-right adult who just had a rough ride figuring things out as a young guy. Given the positive props I’ve heard so far, I’d lay odds on the latter.

It’s hard for me to be an adult about things sports related. I totally admit this. My initial reaction was to view the de-commitment to IU through the lens of an athlete who spurned IU, and my other knee-jerk was to view him as flaky after hearing the whole LSU to ND thing. But after reflection, I have to admit that I also need to take into account that he’s a young kid, not even fully an adult yet, who’s jumping onto a broader stage and needs to find the best possible spot for himself. I’m not convinced that coming to IU would’ve been detrimental to him, and I don’t think that going to LSU would’ve been a bad situation either, but I’m not in his shoes. I don’t see the fine details his parents do. So rather than write the diatribe that I was suppressing inside me months ago, I’d rather just let the hell go and wish him luck. If I start disliking the kid just for choosing a different college, and if worse, I end up actually jeering him, I’ll end up like those Illini fans who showed true boorishness at Eric Golden when he decommitted from them to come to IU. And I don’t want to do that; I want to be better than them.

So, I hope whatever college he ends up at works out for him. As long as he doesn’t openly hate or unfairly rip on IU, I’ll wish him the best. I still think he could’ve made something of himself here, and at the same time have had the added reputation of being a program builder, but that’s over and done now. I can’t be mad at him any longer. That hurts me more than it’ll ever affect him, and it’d be stupid of me to self-inflict negativity over this.

Once again, I just hope he finds the right spot.

--
"How can a pickup truck contain enough mass to unfold into a towering machine? I say if Ringling Brothers can get 15 clowns into a Volkswagen, anything is possible."

Roger Ebert, Transformers review.

by E.M.H. on Jan 17, 2012 11:10 AM EST reply actions 1 recs

I dunno.

Sure, it’s his choice, and ultimately I’ve got nothing against the guy. But I do think that when you get to be around 17 and 18, you should be held accountable to your word and people have the right to criticize you if you don’t hold to your commitments. That’s part of being an adult, and these “kids” are right on the cusp of that stage of life and need to begin to demonstrate that kind of behavior, especially if you are about to get an all-expenses-paid college experience and far more perks and advantages than ordinary students receive. (Which is not to ignore the hideous exploitation of the skill and personal images of student-athletes for university, NCAA, and private companies’ gain. But the athletes still get more than ordinary students do).

And of course, all of this is to say that criticism is warranted, but not abuse, threats, or the wails of middle-aged men. Caring is creepy.

A sassy, brassy, classy lassy.

by LoneStarHoosier on Jan 17, 2012 11:27 AM EST up reply actions

And here I am talking about Kiel, after already being tired of this.

I’m going to find some news to read.

A sassy, brassy, classy lassy.

by LoneStarHoosier on Jan 17, 2012 11:28 AM EST up reply actions

Heh. Gotcha! ;)

--
"How can a pickup truck contain enough mass to unfold into a towering machine? I say if Ringling Brothers can get 15 clowns into a Volkswagen, anything is possible."

Roger Ebert, Transformers review.

by E.M.H. on Jan 17, 2012 11:37 AM EST up reply actions

Oh yes, legit criticism is definitely warranted.

But again, I’m worried about myself, and allowing myself to descend to the level of those Illinois fans when Gordon was playing for IU. I’d like to think I’m above that, but years of following sports has taught me that I can slip pretty easily. So it’s that level I’m trying to avoid, not the level of legitimate criticism.

I think it’s perfectly all right – and on top of that, necessary – to say that adults shouldn’t make commitments and back out of them later, specifically because of the effect it has. That, I’ll never say is unwarranted. It’s totally legit. What you’re saying I can easily agree with: College is the opening of the adult world, and you have to behave as such.

My post is more an expiation of my own “sins” than it is criticism of anyone else. I remember all the way back to the Luke Recker and Jason Collier times, and I even remember Lawrence Funderburke. I did not react admirably to those transfers. And it reflects badly on me. It’s a mea culpa, not a rip on anyone else.

--
"How can a pickup truck contain enough mass to unfold into a towering machine? I say if Ringling Brothers can get 15 clowns into a Volkswagen, anything is possible."

Roger Ebert, Transformers review.

by E.M.H. on Jan 17, 2012 11:37 AM EST up reply actions

I remember all the way back to the Luke Recker and Jason Collier times, and I even remember Lawrence Funderburke. I did not react admirably to those transfers.

I know the feeling.

The Crimson Quarry, SB Nation's Indiana Hoosiers blog

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by John M (The Crimson Quarry) on Jan 17, 2012 1:22 PM EST up reply actions

Collier was a cream puff.

And Recker was a classless ass with delusions of grandeur (ie, a NBA career after NCAA), who felt that he wasn’t “developing” under Knight’s system.

Eff ’em both.

I see great things in baseball. It's our game - the American game. It will take our people out-of-doors, fill them with oxygen, give them a larger physical stoicism. Tend to relieve us from being a nervous, dyspeptic set. Repair these losses, and be a blessing to us. ~Walt Whitman

by Chopaholic on Jan 17, 2012 6:23 PM EST up reply actions

I’ve come around to the idea that a college choice is an intensely personal decision. Ideally, a player will weigh all of the issues carefully and make a considered decision that won’t change. That doesn’t always happen. I compare it to a marriage proposal. Ideally, someone who proposes marriage or accepts a proposal is as certain as he/she can be about the decision. On the other hand, circumstances change, and it could be that the decision wasn’t well-considered. In that situation, I think the lesser of two evils is breaking the engagement rather than entering a marriage without a full commitment. A college choice isn’t as heavy a commitment as a marriage, but it’s a very big deal. I don’t think that keeping a commitment without actually feeling committed is a good thing for either the player or the school.

All that said, this doesn’t seem to be so much a considered decision as that he happened to be standing in front of Notre Dame’s chair when the music stopped. As I said, he could have done worse, but this is no way to pick a college.

The Crimson Quarry, SB Nation's Indiana Hoosiers blog

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by John M (The Crimson Quarry) on Jan 17, 2012 12:31 PM EST up reply actions

Just some scuttlebutt I heard this past weekend.

The current rumor floating around campus is that after he was benched, Dusty Kiel walked into Coach Wilson’s office and demanded to be the starting quarterback, or else his brother would decommit and head somewhere else. Apparently Coach Wilson didn’t like this one bit, and had some choice words for Dusty.

Shortly thereafter, Gunner decommitted, and Dusty never saw the field again. Now, Dusty is leaving the program.

We rise. They fall.
Proud to have my own tag on KSK
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by MonkeyBusiness on Jan 17, 2012 11:26 AM EST reply actions

wow…if that’s true, the Kiels sound even more manipulative than the Mannings.

All things considered, I'd rather be in Philadelphia

by Veni Vidi Vici on Jan 17, 2012 12:31 PM EST up reply actions

One of those “almost too juicy to be true” stories. It seems pretty clear that things went way south between Wilson and the Kiel family around that time. We’ll probably never know the full story.

The Crimson Quarry, SB Nation's Indiana Hoosiers blog

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by John M (The Crimson Quarry) on Jan 17, 2012 1:23 PM EST up reply actions

don't believe it

from everything I have heard Kiel is a really good guy (Dusty). Can’t imagine he would be involved in such extortion. Likely IU students with taste for sour grapes pushing that rumor.

-Contributing Writer at The Crimson Quarry.

by JustAJ on Jan 17, 2012 3:24 PM EST up reply actions

If Gunner Kiel is as indecisive on the field as he is with his commitments, he’s going to wind up taking seven sacks a game.

All things considered, I'd rather be in Philadelphia

by Veni Vidi Vici on Jan 17, 2012 12:26 PM EST reply actions

That may happen anyway, if Notre Dame's previous offensive line history is any indication.

A sassy, brassy, classy lassy.

by LoneStarHoosier on Jan 17, 2012 12:41 PM EST up reply actions

I hadn't thought of Yackety Sax in a long time...

… thanks for reminding me of this Youtube gem.

Here is Jimmy Clausen behind the worst offensive line I’ve seen at a major football program, going up against a brutally talented Michigan DL. The most inept play, of many, happens at about 1:00, when every one of the DL makes it to Jimmy:
Thrown to the Wolves

by nothsa on Jan 17, 2012 4:26 PM EST up reply actions

Oh man, Brian Cook is freaking awesome.

Gotta love both the Brady Quinn and Jimmy Clausen versions.

A sassy, brassy, classy lassy.

by LoneStarHoosier on Jan 17, 2012 4:41 PM EST up reply actions

further proof

that gingers don’t have souls.

"It's an easy game, man. Easy game."
~Edgerrin James

by 87 Rides A Surfboard on Jan 17, 2012 1:04 PM EST via mobile reply actions

Kinda reminds me of Jeff George.

I hope the Colts aren’t in a position to draft him (or need to draft him) if he goes pro.

by NW_Colts_Fan on Jan 17, 2012 2:28 PM EST reply actions

Water over the dam

As to Gunner- good luck. I teach high school seniors at a school that will turn out at least four D1 recruits this year. You can’t imagine the presure on these young people. As to Dusty he was not going to fit into the system, and it was clear there was much more talent in front of him. As to IU’s football future, I think Roberson is the real deal, assuming he can maintain the growth and maturity trajectory he exhibited this year. Lastly what is the scoop on the Juco QB that committed?

by newIUfan on Jan 17, 2012 5:36 PM EST reply actions