Gunner Kiel enrolls at Notre Dame

By Stephen Spiewak Jan 17, 2012, 4:52am

Nation's top QB makes last-minute call to attend Notre Dame over LSU.

Gunner Kiel, Columbus East
Gunner Kiel, Columbus East
Photo by Warren Robison
It looks like Gunner Kiel will be Irish after all.

The nation's No. 2 recruit and top quarterback committed to LSU shortly after Christmas, but has spurned the Tigers at the 11th hour, enrolling at Notre Dame, according to the school's newspaper, The Observer.

Kiel, who graduated from Columbus East (Columbus, Ind.) in January, was set to begin classes at LSU when the semester began on Tuesday.

However, rumors began to swirl on Monday that the 6-foot-4, 215-pound signal caller had not traveled to Baton Rouge and may have been wavering on his commitment to LSU.

This marks the second time Kiel has backed off a verbal commitment; he reneged on an earlier pledge to attend Indiana University.



His commitment gives Notre Dame help at a position in which it's sorely needed. It also takes away some of the sting of losing Ron Darby (uncommitted) and Taylor Decker (Ohio State) in recent days.

Jeremy Liggins, a dual-threat quarterback from Mississippi, could now emerge as a top target for LSU, which is also thin at quarterback.

Notre Dame is waiting to receive word on possibly landing Pleasant Grove (Elk Grove, Calif.) star Arik Armstead, who's expected to make his decision today.