The Man In The Arena: Part 1 of QB Expectations at Notre Dame

Who’s the man?

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena” — Theodore “Middle Names Are For Chumps” Roosevelt.

Notre Dame has had several “The Man” type QBs come to South Bend since the dawn of the 21st century. They’ve been held up to a ton of scrutiny before, during and after their tenure. There’s a good chance ND will get to see the next version of “The Man” this year if C J Carr is named starter. Based on his predecessors, what should we expect? Should we brace ourselves for Natties galore or horrors beyond explanation? There’s only one arbitrary and meaningless way to find out: examine all of the former “The Man” QBs at ND.

What makes a man “The Man”? He’s a player that comes to the university with a successful resume in high school and a high recruiting value. He has a level of hype that would make your mom consider tossing her panties as he walks by. He has been pursued by other major programs. Finally, the expectation of program savior is bestowed upon him before he even takes a snap. You probably already have the names of these guys streaming through your mind right now. If I miss someone you think was a “The Man” guy, please let me know. Enjoy.

Carlyle Holiday

The Hype: He was one of the top rated QBs in his class and Nebraska wanted him. This was back when the Huskers could give two shits about who watched their spring games. They were too busy competing for and winning Nattys. Also, he fit Bob Davie’s vision for the offense: A run based attack with the ability to take the top off the defense. Methodical and then big shots down the field. That’s what Carlyle was supposed to bring.

Memorable Achievements: After Bob Davie got canned once his “greatest team ever” went 5-7 in 2001, Carlyle navigated the O’Leary intermission and then helped ND to an 8-0 start in 2002 under Ty “my tee time starts 30 minutes after the game” Willingham.

Biggest disappointment: It’s not all his fault (Drew Pyne’s dad had a big hand in this one), but he did start the BC game where ND shit the bed, and he couldn’t lead the Irish offense well enough to overcome the Eagles. Normally, the defense and special teams would bail him out with a couple of big plays, but they just played efficient football instead of miraculous.

Overall Record: 15-9. He would switch to Wide Receiver after being replaced due to inefficiency in the passing game.

Interesting Quotes: “He is very mobile. They should probably put him at tailback.” Then USC defender Troy Polamalu after Carlyle led ND to victory against Pete Carrol for the only time in that rat bastards tenure with the Condoms. His prophetic proficiency was a bit off, but he was right that Carlyle would find himself at another position before leaving ND.

Brady Quinn

The Hype: A top 20 prospect, he was a high school All-American and was recruited by Ohio State and Michigan. This was when OSU was winning a National Title and Michigan wasn’t far removed from their own. He also fit the mold of what Willingham desired to bring to Notre Dame in between naps and four man scrambles.

Memorable Achievement: Under Charlie Weis, Quinn developed into a great downfield passer and led ND to two straight BCS Bowl berths. It was the first time ND had been to back-to-back major bowls since the Lou Holtz era, a feat only replicated once since. He also made the finals of the Heisman race.

Biggest Disappointment: He couldn’t win the big one. In 2005 he gave his all but it wasn’t enough to beat USC. He also lost to OSU in that year’s Fiesta Bowl. In 2006, he lost to Michigan and USC, neither in competitive fashion and got thumped by LSU in that year’s Sugar Bowl.

Overall Record: 29-17. He’s the only guy on this list that would finish his senior year as the starting QB for ND.

Interesting Quotes: “Tim Tebow is a great guy, but he wasn’t a a good teammate.” Brady Quinn. He had a pretty awful working relationship with Urban Meyer’s lover. Perhaps that is what colored Tebow’s unnatural hatred of Notre Dame through the years.

Jimmy Clausen

The Hype: This guy perfectly fits the mythos of The Man. He was recruited by everybody and the media dove face first into pumping this kid up. He rolled up in a Hummer, flashed his championship rings and wore clothes that probably cost a semester’s tuition.

Memorable Achievement: Pick any of his amazing fade passes to the end zone or the Hawaii Bowl win. But mine is the throw that led Golden Tate to leap into the waiting arms of the Michigan State band. It’s iconic and Clausen’s pass was on the money. It’s what made his time at ND both amazing and frustrating.

Biggest Disappointment: 2009 USC. I mean, there’s a ton of moments that were disappointing, but most of them were a team/coaching effort conspiring to undermine Clausen’s performance. However, he had the ball inside the 5 in our last chance to beat Pete Carrol. Three straight pass attempts couldn’t find their target and Carrol got to wear that shit eating grin off into the sunset.

Overall Record: 16-18. Reminder, this guy had to play in the 2007 season and behind an offensive line that was all style, no substance and Sam Young. Still, that losing record stings considering he was the highest rated recruit in ND history.

Interesting Quotes: ”If Jimmy Clausen is not a successful quarterback in the NFL, I’m done. That’s it. I’m out.” Mel Kiper. He still works at ESPN and not because Jimmy won 3 Super Bowls. Side Note: I’m pretty sure Cam Newton hates ND because Jimmy dangled his uniform number for a million dollars over Cam.

Dayne Crist

The Hype: A rare back-to-back high profile recruit, this guy came with a high rating (top ten in modern ND history). He was an All-American and top 25 player in his class. He was highly recruited by several teams but chose Charlie Weis and the schematic advantage. What really made it amazing was he hung on to ND in spite of arguably the worst season in program history. He really wanted to play for Chuck.

Memorable Achievement: I mean, nothing really. Maybe the TD to Rudolph to complete the comeback against Michigan in 2010? But that got undermined by Ole Shoelace taking the lead back on the next drive.

Biggest Disappointment: Missing most of that game with a blurry eye (though that was definitely some friendly eye poking from the Wolverines probably)? Playing like shit against MSU and Stanford the following weeks? All good candidates, but it is 2011 USF. He started okay but faded quickly. He did so bad he caused Brian Kelly to turn Peter Potamus purple. He’d never start another game for the Irish.

Overall Record: 4-6 with wins over Purdue, Pittsburgh, BC and Western Michigan. Murderer’s Row there. He would transfer to Kansas to join his old sage Charlie Weis. The two floundered together in the heart of America.

Interesting Quotes: “Maybe Crist turns out to be a huge bust, but that doesn’t necessarily mean Rees will be anything great either.” Former One Foot Downer Eric Murtaugh trying to process the reality that Dayne Crist sucked and we were about to rely on a 3 star recruit that looked like Gumby after game one in 2011.

Gunner Kiel

The Hype: A top rated recruit, he was pursued by several programs. Most notable of those was LSU, who had gained his commitment until the last second. This led Les Miles to short circuit on National Signing Day (but I talked about that in my Junior Jabbie Article). Gunner was also a legacy as his uncle had started for ND under both Dan Devine and Gary Faust.

Memorable Achievement: He played really well for Cincinnati in 2014. Also trucked a defender in the Spring Game in 2012.

Biggest Disappointment: Never saw the field and left the program just before his biggest competition, Everett Golson, would get suspended. Ouch! What might have been.

Overall Record: 0-0. 1-0 in hurting Michigan Man Les Miles’ feelings though.

Interesting Quotes: “He did not necessarily have the chest and ability to lead a program, so you know.” Read that in the most dopey aw shucks manner you can muster because it’s by future sex pest Les Miles.

Brandon Wimbush

The Hype: Was highly recruited by Penn State and may have been the impetus for the hate train that James Franklin rides to this very day. He was the top player out of New Jersey and one of the top rated recruits in the country. Should have been a consensus 5 star.

Memorable Achievement: Beat Michigan in 2018 despite the Wolverines being the “better team”. He also led ND to back-to-back ranked wins against USC and NC State in 2017 (with the help of Josh Adams) and picked the Irish up from a 4-8 season the year prior to a 10-3 record in 2017. Pretty awesome turnaround.

Biggest Disappointment: 2018 Ball State. Probably Post 2016 BK’s most egregious decision was to have his dual threat QB play straight pro pass without any adjustments when it was falling apart. The game clearly shook Wimbush’s confidence and he would be replaced late in the Vandy game next week. He’d only get one more chance as a starter and destroyed the Florida State Seminoles.

Overall Record: 13-3. Best winning percentage of all of these guys and could have been much more (and I liked Ian Book).

Interesting Quotes: “It’s much better than it was last week…we executed how we wanted to execute today, and we feel good coming away from it. And there is so much more to learn, so we’re excited for that,” Wimbush shortly after the Vandy game. He would be replaced as starter a couple of days later.

Phil Jurkovec

The Hype: Another successful high school recruit, he was an All-American and was pursued by several major programs. He also got fawned over by the Irish media. A top level QB from PA? Joe Montana and Tom Clements comparisons incoming!

Memorable Achievement: Threw a TD in a blowout loss to Michigan in 2019.

Biggest Disappointment: Couldn’t keep ND’s name out of his mouth after transferring away. Despite all of his trolling, he lost his only contest against ND and was outplayed by Ian Book in 2020.

Overall Record: 0-0 and 0-life against ND.

Interesting Quotes: “I think the biggest reason Phil didn’t live up the hype is that the hype swallowed him.” Eric Hansen after Phil transferred. It truly was a sad day for everyone who likes to dream of the good ole’ days of Irish dominance.

Tyler Buchner

The Hype: Top level recruit from California who was pursued by a lot of programs, including Alabama. He chose ND instead. Maintained a high recruiting profile despite not playing his senior season.

Memorable Achievement: His coming back from injury to play in the bowl game against South Carolina was a stark contrast to career donut man Drew Pyne darting to the portal. Also, his contributions against Toledo, Virginia Tech and North Carolina as a true freshman.

Biggest Disappointment: The 2022 Marshall game. He didn’t finish the game due to injury, but his performance leading up to injury left a lot to be desired and made everyone wonder what the hell ND was thinking hiring Marcus Freeman. Oh Summer Child!

Overall Record: 1-2, but that win showed he cared about the program.

Interesting Quotes: I’ll just link the article here. Dude is a class act. Ya hear that, Phil!

Conclusion

Overall Record of The Man guys: 78-66 (.541 or the equivalent of winning the Hawaii Bowl after going 6-6)

C J Carr is The Man now. Whether he leads ND to greatness won’t be because of his past successes or the hype that people thrust upon him. It will be because he puts in the work and accomplishes the goals set before him. It’s been a pretty mixed bag for the past candidates. But they aren’t C J Carr. He’s his own man. Whether he is The Man. The Real Man. That will be determined soon.

Look for Part 2 to release sometime in July.