Irish Land Another QB Standout

So what’s with all these elite quarterbacks coming to Notre Dame? Isn’t anybody afraid of competition anymore or worried about holding clipboards rather than throwing footballs?

Apparently not. Coach Charlie Weis, it seems, is too good a recruiter, too good at developing quarterbacks.

Notre Dame isn’t a bad school, either.

And so high-profile prep star Dayne Crist has orally committed to the Irish. Already there is high-profile prep star Jimmy Clausen, the No. 1 high school player in the nation. Both, in fact, are from Southern California. Both were heavily recruited by USC. Both are good friends.

No matter. They will battle it out for future playing time, along with Demetrius Jones, Zach Frazer and Evan Sharpley. Sharpley was considered the nation’s No. 15 pro-style quarterback coming out of high school. Frazer was No. 9. Jones was the No. 3 dual-threat quarterback.

As you can see, that’s a lot of competition. A less confident guy might pass on that, but confidence is not something Crist lacks.

How good is Crist? Good enough to throw for 17 touchdowns and three interceptions in just seven games (injury limited his playing time). Good enough to rank among the top three prep quarterbacks in the nation.

He is also 6-5 and 221 pounds, so he has NFL caliber size, and if you don’t think pro possibilities entered into the decision, then you don’t understand college football these days.

Notre Dame, by the way, now has eight commitments. That includes Bishop Dwenger receiver John Goodman. Most of those are expected to attend Saturday’s spring game.

The commitments aren't binding until they sign a national letter of intent, which can't happen until next February.