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Notre Dame Football: The five highly ranked players that never panned out

By Ben Belden

SOUTH BEND, IN - SEPTEMBER 28: Max Redfield #10 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in action on special teams against the Oklahoma Sooners during the game at Notre Dame Stadium on September 28, 2013 in South Bend, Indiana. Oklahoma won 35-21. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
SOUTH BEND, IN - SEPTEMBER 28: Max Redfield #10 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in action on special teams against the Oklahoma Sooners during the game at Notre Dame Stadium on September 28, 2013 in South Bend, Indiana. Oklahoma won 35-21. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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4. Dayne Crist, Quarterback

SOUTH BEND, IN – SEPTEMBER 03: Quarterback Dayne Crist #10 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish looks for an open receiver against the South Florida Bulls during the game at Notre Dame Stadium on September 3, 2011 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by J. Meric/South Florida/Getty Images)
SOUTH BEND, IN – SEPTEMBER 03: Quarterback Dayne Crist #10 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish looks for an open receiver against the South Florida Bulls during the game at Notre Dame Stadium on September 3, 2011 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by J. Meric/South Florida/Getty Images) /

Five-star quarterback Dayne Crist had all the measurables to make for a tremendous quarterback. Better yet, Charlie Weis had a track record for producing successful quarterbacks. But things didn’t really work out for Crist in South Bend.

The Sherman Oaks, California native battled injuries and a coaching change from Weis to Brian Kelly early in his career. After beginning the 2010 campaign as Notre Dame’s starting quarterback, Crist eventually lost his job to Tommy Rees midway through the first game of 2011–an embarrassing loss to USF.

Eventually, Crist transferred to Kansas to reunite with his old coach, ending in a lackluster Notre Dame career.

3. Gunner Kiel, Quarterback

CINCINNATI, OH – SEPTEMBER 12: Gunner Kiel #11 of the Cincinnati Bearcats throws a pass during the game against the Toledo Rockets at Paul Brown Stadium on September 12, 2014 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI, OH – SEPTEMBER 12: Gunner Kiel #11 of the Cincinnati Bearcats throws a pass during the game against the Toledo Rockets at Paul Brown Stadium on September 12, 2014 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

Is there a better quarterback name that Gunner?

Much like the aforementioned Dayne Crist, Gunner Kiel matriculated to Notre Dame with all the tools to reach potential stardom. Kiel was big, standing at 6-foot-4 and had a strong arm that garnered him the top overall rating for a quarterback in the country, according to 247Sports.

Kiel’s career at Notre Dame was far less tumultuous than that of Crist’s. Kiel never saw the field at Notre Dame, finding himself buried on the depth chart behind Everett Golson, Tommy Rees, and Andrew Hendrix.

Kiel eventually transferred to the University of Cincinnati, where he had a tremendous season in 2014 in his first year as the starter. In 2015, Kiel looked like he would pick up where he left off, but injuries derailed his career.

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