Notre Dame Football: Brandon Wimbush can lead Irish back to the top

By Andrew Miller | Jul 16, 2017

SOUTH BEND, IN - SEPTEMBER 10: Head coach Brian Kelly of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish reacts in the first half of the game against the Nevada Wolf Pack at Notre Dame Stadium on September 10, 2016 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

Last year was not friendly to fans of the Notre Dame football, yet patience may be a virtue with freshman quarterback Brandon Wimbush.

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish experienced their worst season under head coach Brian Kelly in 2016. It can be hard to watch when a blue blood like Notre Dame goes through so many troubles in one season. A lot is due to the amount of injuries racked up by the Irish in 2016, combined with an extremely tough schedule. However, a tough schedule is nothing new for the Irish.

It’s not like Notre Dame had a slouch under center last year. DeShone Kizer was one of the most highly-regarded quarterbacks in college football and was even drafted early in the 2017 NFL Draft. He could even be the starter for the Cleveland Browns this year. Yet, something just did not connect with Kizer and the Irish offense in 2016.

First-year offensive coordinator Chip Long, a former coach at Memphis, has the opportunity to take the Irish into a new era on offense. Freshman quarterback Brandon Wimbush has the bulk of the pressure on him, though, to lead the offense in 2017. He’ll take over the offense after two years of Notre Dame changing back and forth between Kizer and Malik Zaire.

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Wimbush was originally a four-star signee in the 2015 Notre Dame recruiting class. He was classified as a four-star by 247Sports.

According to Rivals, Wimbush was listed as the fourth-best overall quarterback in the 2015 class. He has the dual-threat ability to run a versatile offense. And the offense was one of the bigger issues that Notre Dame had last season. For example, a 10-3 loss to the N.C. State Wolfpack should have not happened with a better game from the Irish offense. However, a few of the losses, like the 50-47 overtime defeat against Texas, were due to an inept defense.

Junior running backs Josh Adams and Dexter Williams, along with senior wide receiver Equanimeous St. Brown, give Wimbush the weapons he needs to be successful this season. Defensive leaders like senior defensive lineman Jerry Tillery and senior linebacker Nyles Morgan can give a spark on the other side of the ball as well.

However, the purpose of this article is to explore how Wimbush can lead Notre Dame to the top of college football once again, where they belong. Wimbush has a chance to establish himself on the national stage in just the second game of the season for the Irish.

Notre Dame faces the Georgia Bulldogs on Sep. 9 in what should be a tremendous battle between two young and extremely talented quarterbacks. Star sophomore Jacob Eason was the top quarterback in the 2016 recruiting class. If Wimbush can outperform him on a national stage, the nation will be forced to pay attention to Notre Dame.

Other key games on the Notre Dame schedule include road games against the North Carolina Tar Heels, Stanford and Miami. They also have home games against the USC Trojans and N.C. State Wolfpack. Notre Dame does have an opportunity to reach double-digit wins in 2017 but they could also drop quite a few games very easily.

According to SB Nation’s One Foot Down, Wimbush will win the Heisman in 2017. Yet, that kind of hype is still to early to put forward. A stat line with at least 25 total touchdowns and 3,000 passing yards is not out of the question. Kizer posted 31 total touchdowns nearly 3,000 passing yards in his first full season starting with Notre Dame in 2015. Those type of stats are surely possible for Wimbush in 2017.

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If Wimbush can be productive and the Irish can stay healthy then we could see a freshman quarterback lead Notre Dame back to the top.

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