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Notre Dame Football 2017 preview

By John Buhler

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - OCTOBER 01: Head coach Brian Kelly of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and his team wait to head on to the field for the start of the game against the Syracuse Orange at MetLife Stadium on October 1, 2016 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - OCTOBER 01: Head coach Brian Kelly of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and his team wait to head on to the field for the start of the game against the Syracuse Orange at MetLife Stadium on October 1, 2016 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
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SOUTH BEND, IN – APRIL 22: Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Brandon Wimbush (7) in action during the Notre Dame Fighting Irish Blue-Gold Spring Game on April 22, 2017, at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, IN. (Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
SOUTH BEND, IN – APRIL 22: Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Brandon Wimbush (7) in action during the Notre Dame Fighting Irish Blue-Gold Spring Game on April 22, 2017, at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, IN. (Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Breakout Player: Quarterback Brandon Wimbush

No Fighting Irish player will be under as much scrutiny as new starting quarterback Brandon Wimbush. He takes over the reins after DeShone Kizer elected to leave South Bend with two years of eligibility remaining to play professionally for the Cleveland Browns.

Wimbush is seen as more of a dual-threat playmaker than Kizer, who was seen as more of a pro-style passer under head coach Brian Kelly. Kizer could run a little bit, but Wimbush’s foot speed makes him a more dynamic threat in this Notre Dame offense.

In his third year with the Notre Dame program, Wimbush is being tabbed as a better version of Malik Zaire, a guy he beat out to win the starting job. The southpaw Zaire has decided to transfer to the SEC to play for Jim McElwain’s Florida Gators, a football team that has yet to get it right at starting quarterback since Tim Tebow’s senior season in 2009.

Wimbush faces a ton of pressure, but he has battled to get this starting job with the Fighting Irish. Not seeing the field last year when Kizer won the job had to have been tough, but maybe it has prepared Wimbush for a great 2017?

Notre Dame is at its best as a football power when it is getting good to great play from the quarterback position. Kelly is considered to some degree a quarterback whisperer. If Wimbush is in that Everett Golson mould circa 2012, this could be a great year for him and the Fighting Irish overall.