By no means do we want to make light of a young man facing possible jail time for a mistake, but the arrest of Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Tommy Rees impacts an entire major college football program. So there are football implications to discuss.
Tommy Rees Arrested: Notre Dame’s Depth Chart Likely Clears Up A Little
Rees started for the Irish last year, putting up 2,871 yards and 20 touchdowns, completing a healthy 65 percent of his passes. However, he’s best known for his red zone turnovers. With 14 interceptions and five lost fumbles, Notre Dame’s offense just couldn’t get out of its own way with Rees at the controls.
Dayne Crist has transferred to Kansas, and freshman Gunner Kiel looks likely to redshirt. That leaves junior Andrew Hendrix and redshirt freshman Everett Golson as the potential starters, assuming Rees' felony arrest damages his chances beyond repair. That's entirely reasonable, as he'll almost certainly be suspended from game time at the least.
Kelly doesn’t plan to announce a starter until summer. He’s down to what appears to be two options, if Kiel redshirts.
Hendrix got some experience last year, flashing some dual-threat speed in five games, but was inaccurate (48 percent completion, two interceptions in 37 throws) in his small sample size. Golson was the star of this year’s spring game, throwing two touchdowns and avoiding interceptions -- Hendrix and Rees each turned the ball over.
For more on Irish football, visit Notre Dame blog One Foot Down, plus SB Nation Indiana.
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