Notre Dame Football: Brandon Wimbush improvement key to playoff run

Notre Dame football will be relying heavily on the improvement of starting quarterback Brandon Wimbush. He’s the key to a playoff run.

When Brandon Wimbush takes the field against Michigan in the season opener next weekend, he’ll have the weight of the world on his shoulders.

Not only will he be facing one of the best defenses in college football but he’ll be playing under Brian Kelly’s microscope. Though he’s been announced as the Week 1 starter for the Fighting Irish, the leash will be short for Wimbush as Kelly revealed that both he and Ian Book could split time in the opener.

Rarely has a two-quarterback system worked, and Book seems like he’d just be a placeholder for whenever true freshman Phil Jurkovec is ready to go.

That means the hopes of Notre Dame’s 2018 College Football Playoff run rest squarely on Wimbush’s ability to improve his accuracy.

As a junior and first-year starter, he completed just 49.5 percent of his passes for 1,887 yards and 16 touchdowns with six interceptions. He lost some time at the end of the year to Book and it was because of the constant inaccuracies. That must change right away for Wimbush.

Michigan may be the most important matchup of the season for the senior dual-threat. If he can show immediate improvement for the Wolverines, he’ll likely keep his job and confidence will build from there. However, if he struggles early, Kelly may be forced to go with Book and he may hold that starting job for the remainder of the year.

Wimbush has a high ceiling, but he needs to show he can be a passer instead of a run-first quarterback. He’s the kind of guy who can average around 300-350 total offensive yards per game if he plays to that potential, but is he ready for the pressure?

Notre Dame’s 2018 hopes depend on Wimbush being able to step up.

If Wimbush isn’t able to prove he can be a formidable passer, the Irish could be in big trouble, or maybe the answer lies in the arms of Jurkovec or Book.